The Tenth Disk
by L. Adam Bell
Summary: X and Zero set out on a quest to retrieve Sigma's archives, hidden on ten minidisks! The story changes perspectives from X, Zero, Sigma, and the points of view of a few of my own new Hunters, set between Megaman X4 and X5. PG for mild language.
1. A New Threat...

THE TENTH DISK  
  
By blackhart  
  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter One  
  
X  
  
The year is 21XX, and five years after my supposed destruction of Sigma,  
  
the most powerful Maverick ever to live. With several mighty bursts of  
  
plasma energy from my arm cannon, the omnipotent Sigma seemed to be defeated, but now his threat has arisen once again, in the form of three  
  
parts of the Sigma virus (a computer virus was, of course, Sigma's natural  
  
form): Epsilon, Delta, and Pi.  
  
My name is X. Just X. That's all I can tell you, because that's all I know to call myself. I am a Reploid, a type of human/robot cyborg built with an  
  
electronic brain which can reason and feel. As a Reploid, I am also able to  
  
make any of my life's decisions for myself. I was created by Dr. Light, an old  
  
scientist in robotics, who, in his lifetime, created about 7 powerful robots to  
  
battle Dr. Wily's evil robotic creations. When I was completed, I was sealed in  
  
a capsule, only to be released when absolutely necessary. Light felt that it  
  
was too dangerous, at the time, to allow a free thinking robot to roam the  
  
world. I'm much more powerful than any human, of course, and he was afraid  
  
that my power could go to my head, I suppose.  
  
Fast-forwarding, it's now a hundred years from then, from the fighting of  
  
Wily's creations. All of Wily's robot men seem primitive, now that Reploids  
  
have become far more powerful and more sentient. We have our own  
  
governmental systems, Reploid colonies, and even political parties of our  
  
own. However, most of us just try to act normal and blend in with humans,  
  
and keep at peace with civilization. Mavericks are the flip side of the Reploid  
  
coin. They're Reploids that have, somehow or another, been infected with a  
  
computer virus called sigmae mavericus. It's the Sigma virus. It's been built  
  
into several large and small robot bodies before, and has even developed its  
  
own personality over time. My friend Zero and I have taken all of these  
  
robotic incarnations of the virus out, gaining power with every blow to foil  
  
Sigma's plans time and again.  
  
The Maverick Hunters are a fairly small group of Reploids who make  
  
it their aim in life to destroy Sigma and all his cohorts. Zero and I each  
  
command a squad of Maverick Hunters that we've gotten to be particularly  
  
chummy with: Unit #17 and Unit #0.  
  
Anyway, until now, we've been taking a well-deserved vacation.  
  
Thanks to me and Zero, all of Sigma's victims had either been drained of the  
  
virus or destroyed. The robotic immune system naturally drains the virus  
  
out after its ties to the victim are lost. We had nothing to suspect until  
  
these three Mavericks appeared and began attacking. Without warning, we  
  
were sent back into action. We hadn't expected the degree of importance  
  
we'd be going up against this time until we got some of our scouts back from  
  
the three fortresses. Several older Mavericks and more obsolete Wily-Bots  
  
had been resurrected to form another of Sigma's armies, and when we  
  
realized that he was again the cause of the problem, I went back to wearing  
  
my X-Buster cannon, and Zero his saber. In three parts, Sigma's effects are  
  
felt much more greatly, and each has built his own private army of  
  
henchmen, composed of Wily-Bots and Mavericks.  
  
Overall, Epsilon seems to be the one most in charge of the group, as  
  
he has in his army the Maverick Vile, formerly Sigma's right-hand man,  
  
Magma Dragoon, a Maverick Hunter-turned-Maverick, and the X-Hunters:  
  
Serges, Agile, and Violen, from whom I was forced to recover Zero's body  
  
parts once.  
  
After reflecting all these facts in my mind, I remembered suddenly  
  
that I was standing in the weapons bay. Zero came in and nudged out of my  
  
trance.  
  
"Y'okay, X?" he asked of me.  
  
I shook my head. "`Course not, Zero, After what all has happened  
  
to us, after all the lives that have perished under Sigma, you'd think he'd  
  
quit, wouldn't you?"  
  
Zero shook his head at me. "No, X. A Maverick doesn't care about  
  
how much it has to sacrifice, as long as it gets the job done. I was a  
  
Maverick at one time, if you recall. Trust me."  
  
I nodded. "Anyway, you've got the heavy security today, right?"  
  
He frowned a little bit suddenly. "Yeah... Somethin' the matter, X?"  
  
"No, it's nothing," I said. "I'm just anxious, that's all."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just leave me the smallest amount of security you  
  
can. I'll try to dodge as much as I can."  
  
"Feelin' woozy?"  
  
"A little disoriented, that's all. I'll be fine. It's Pi's fortress this  
  
time, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Broke into what we could around it, and now we can finally  
  
take out the main core."  
  
"What element's Pi based in?"  
  
"Water, we've heard."  
  
"Okay, I'll try an' round up an electric weapon of some kind from one of  
  
her cronies before I go in. You'll be there next to me, right?"  
  
"Right, X."  
  
There was a sudden and unexpected pause of a beat or two, then  
  
Zero spoke up again:  
  
"Are you sure you're alright, X?"  
  
I smiled. Zero had treated me nothing less than a brother ever  
  
since I'd joined the Hunters. "Like I said," I pleaded, "just a little disoriented."  
  
"I just worry about you, buddy," he said, putting a hand on my  
  
shoulder. "My Z-Saber and I'll be sure to clean up as much of the security as  
  
possible, but you've gotta find that package of disks, okay? Infiltrate while  
  
we destroy. Clear?"  
  
"As crystal," I said with a nod. The "disks" he was referring to was  
  
a package of three CD-ROM minidisks, on which the Sigma virus's source code  
  
was reportedly being stored in archives. There were ten disks total, with  
  
three in each of Epsilon, Delta, and Pi's fortresses, and the last of which the  
  
location remained unknown. It had supposedly been hidden by the armies of  
  
Sigma's underlings, somewhere on the planet. Sigma itself was being revived,  
  
but into what kind of monstrous body, we had no idea.  
  
Our mission was to find these ten disks and destroy them, so that  
  
we could be rid of the Maverick virus forever. A little peace in our world  
  
would be nice, to say the least.  
  
* * *  
  
As I watched our troops' dropship hang above the roof of Pi's  
  
fortress, I concentrated on the world around me, and gathered energy. I felt  
  
my arm cannon charging up with plasma bolts, and I swirled my head around  
  
quickly to find a beginning target.  
  
This mission was to be as stealthy as possible until someone got  
  
seen, then just, well, let all hell break loose, in a nutshell. I knew where I  
  
could find the electric weapon I was gonna need, so I had to locate that Wily-  
  
Bot first, before I went in for the disks. The name was Spark Man, a robot  
  
with many miles on him. I had read of this guy in Dr. Light's journals years  
  
ago. He could charge up an electric blast, then launch it at an enemy. He  
  
was moderately speedy, but a little short on armor. That I was glad for. I  
  
needed this mission to take as short of an amount of time as possible.  
  
I spotted a small robot drone out of the corner of my eye which  
  
lobbed energy particles into the air, dropping them onto an unwary target.  
  
Hello, starter target, I greeted silently.  
  
"Ready, Zero?" I hissed.  
  
"On my count," he whispered. "One, two, three, go!"  
  
I crept quickly to another stack of crates, glimpsing my target in  
  
my peripheral vision. Readying that charge of plasma, I used my dash ability  
  
to slide up to the `bot and peg it with a tag of fire before any alarm went  
  
off. Parts exploded, and I was up one Maverick drone. Presently, I heard  
  
some digitized voices buzzing, and heard "What was that?" faintly. Get  
  
ready, X, I told myself. More targets approaching.  
  
The charge of my blaster started again at my will. Small blue-and-  
  
green translucent spheres swirled around the barrel, signaling the full  
  
capacity of the charge function had been reached. I stepped out from behind  
  
another wall of crates, turned a bit to meet one robot, then fired a blue-  
  
white stream of plasma into its gullet. Another rushed toward me--no time  
  
to recharge--I used my fist as a battering ram, sitting that one down quickly.  
  
Wily-Bots charged out of the fortress's side entrance at the  
  
others' cry. I recognized most of them: Ice Man, Flame Man, Ring Man, and  
  
others. I jumped a robot at random, and ground him to iron filings with one  
  
blast. The Wily-Bot had been much less powerful than I. These guys were  
  
flimsy. I took out the others easily, wasting little energy.  
  
Metal rubbish scattered itself all over the earth around my fighting  
  
grounds, and I was set to go inside the fortress. Through another small  
  
army of Wily-Bots my vision flew, to a security door closing. With a dash and  
  
a leap simultaneously, I landed on the front stoop of that door. With a roll  
  
under the falling metal portal, I smiled to myself, and stood up again once I  
  
was in. I knew that Spark Man was stationed somewhere inside. He was soon  
  
to meet his destiny. 


	2. To the Disk!

THE TENTH DISK  
  
By blackhart  
  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Two  
  
X  
  
My breath came in gulps. My nervous system had been excited by the slip into the fortress. Adrenaline was pumping all throughout my body as I gathered another plasma charge. Zero and the others had organized with me before the raid began, and had said they'd capture the outer core as best they could. It was a massive security risk. I was thankful Zero had carried out my request for the easy half of the mission.  
  
My eyes focused in on a hoard of drones coming ever closer to me. They were of all shapes and sizes, some with guns, and some without. I noticed a small platoon of the little yellow Hard Hats near the front, and couldn't resist a small chuckle. They were true veterans of robotic war, in the fight ever since Wily's time. I dashed quietly away from the group; I didn't want to have to bother with them now.  
  
I came suddenly to a junction in the building; four frozen doors led, I supposed, to four different destinations. Pi should have prayed I didn't get this mission: I had my neural radar system. Focusing my mind on the roads ahead of each door, the leftmost door, I found, contained the pathway to the disks I needed. The rightmost door led to Pi's chambers, and the door right next to that one led to Spark Man's station. I decided to head for the disks first, charging my cannon and taking out the left door. Ice crumbled to the floor with a crash, and I made my way into the hall beyond. I sealed the opening back up with melted metal from the ceiling quickly, courtesy of my cannon, to obstruct any sudden company that had heard the ice break.  
  
Gazing ahead, the only thing I saw was a long corridor. A long corridor filled to the brim with traps and enemies, I'd venture, I thought. I crept along, keeping my eyes peeled and my senses alert. I had a full- capacity blaster charge ready for any takers. A glint of light on the right wall struck me out of my eye's corner and I twirled around quickly, ready to face the enemy. A mecha-bat stared at me, flapping its wings in a menacing manner. Unfortunately for it, its menacing manner did nothing to intimidate me, and I pegged it with my charge. Another one appeared from nowhere, going for my back. Using a piece of the scrapped bat's innards, I whacked at the attacker, sending him down, just like his corpse of a counterpart. The urge to rush through the corridor was uncontrollable, but I knew I'd have to come back through here a little more speedily later, and I wanted it clear. A ceiling-mounted popgun showed its head from the bowels of the roof, and I leaped a little ways up to avoid its pellet gunfire. After generating a sort of weak force field around myself with my armor's capabilities, I rushed into him and another of his hidden companions. Time for the scrap heap, drones.  
  
I was a quarter-ways through the corridor, and the security hadn't been too great. I spoke too soon, I presently found, as the ceiling at my entrance point flipped down from the top and began to flip numerous panels, baring huge polished metal spikes, on which I was intended to be skewered. Can't let that happen, now, can I? I thought. Accessing yet another portion of my programming, I called up the X-Buster upgrade feature I had been made with. It would take time to work, but I could still make it to the end. There were still unseen enemies lining this hall, I knew--but where? I'd find out soon enough.  
  
I began to charge more of my plasma energy, going further this time than before with the full-capacity beep. The upgrade's extra-powerful shot took more energy than did a normal shot, so I had to stay rooted to the spot as I continued to gather energy.  
  
Behind me, I heard the ominous noises of the spike wall creaking toward me. I was half-way through charging. I could do it.  
  
My skin began to glow with an eerie bluish-green tone as the upgrade's full capacity hit. Blinking to relieve some stress, I readied myself. It always felt slightly awkward to use this super shot. I ground my boots into the floor for extra footing. Releasing the first-stage blast, I watched the energy from the blaster form into four rocket-shaped balls, hanging around my head. I released the second burst a nanosecond later, a blue-and-pink sphere of plasma carnage. The two blasts joined together and traveled as one, spreading out down the corridor. As I heard the wall close in behind me, I dashed quickly to keep up with the blasts. As I neared enemies, my proximity triggered their presence. They appeared one by one from their hiding places, only to be sacrificed to the plasma shot I'd squeezed off.  
  
I sped into the chamber ahead, in which was a glass case holding the pack of disks. Speaking into my built-in radio, I said clearly: "Zero, this is X. I have located the disks, and am preparing to confiscate them." I heard the spiked wall crash into the opening behind me. I smiled.  
  
"Sure thing, X," he called back. "We've lost stealth over here, so feel free to make a little noise if you want."  
  
"Affirmative, Zero," I said back. "I'm gonna need a bail-out over here, I kinda locked myself in. Through the right side of the building, leftmost door when you get inside. Okay?"  
  
"Gotcha, X. We'll see you in a minute. Hold fast."  
  
As I touched the glass case to reach for the disks, an alarm sounded. That enough noise, Zero? I thought with a sly grin. The case wouldn't budge, I soon found. Pegging the rim of it with a few small shots from my blaster, however, proved to be successful in opening it. I reached in, grabbed the disks, and turned to leave.  
  
The wall was still blocking my way, but that would be easy enough to get rid of. What we needed was in my hands now, and I let out a triumphant "Yes!" All that remained of this mission was to find Spark Man, acquire his weapon, then use it to put Pi out of commission. I felt proud as I blasted my way through the spiked wall and walked my way back into the corridor.  
  
I started my walk down the hall to wait for Zero and the others to get me out, then something suddenly hit me. It was painful, but at the same time, blissful. My senses went akimbo! My brain was being torn in two...!  
  
Then I passed out. 


	3. Confrontation

THE TENTH DISK  
  
By blackhart  
  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Three  
  
X  
  
X...  
  
I jumped up suddenly. I knew that voice! Low and boastful...  
  
X...  
  
Where was he? For that matter, where was I? And more importantly, why was I hearing him call my name? I glanced around the chamber as I looked for the source of the eerie voice. The world looked as if it had twisted itself around like a kaleidoscope. I frowned with puzzledness at this, then continued looking.  
  
X...  
  
"Show yourself, Sigma!" I called. "Why are you here? And why am I here?" I lowered my voice. "Wherever `here' is..."  
  
About my business here with you, I'll only say that a future in which everyone is a Maverick indeed looks promising for me this time around.  
  
I was puzzled, not only at his comment, but how this specter could have rearisen in the first place. The nine disks in the fortresses of Sigma's underlings were inactive...  
  
But that left one disk, didn't it?  
  
I'm inconveniencing you, I'm afraid, only by saying that I can't answer all your questions at this time. I've special plans for you, my dear X.  
  
"So have you been causing me to feel disoriented?" I asked back quickly.  
  
That I can answer. Yes, that's been me around.  
  
That worried me. What did he mean by "around"?  
  
Since our last battle, you've gained much of my respect, X. You should be proud of yourself to that end.  
  
"No one receives respect from a Maverick without an extenuating circumstance," I said angrily.  
  
Heh heh heh, he chuckled noiselessly. Quite right, X. Quite right.  
  
"Can't tell me what's up, huh?"  
  
Not yet, X, he said. Only that this world could be utterly changed by we two working together...  
  
"ME working with YOU?!" I let out a monster of a forced laugh. "Please!! Before one of my stomach hydraulics blows here!"  
  
I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you, X, he said. It may lead to your destruction...  
  
I saw a flash of his body somewhere from the darkness around me. He had dropped his guard for a split second, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even attempt an attack.  
  
I'll let you go for now, but be prepared to meet with me again sometime in the near future, X. He extended a white gloved hand and snapped his fingers, sending the world into another horrendous swirl around me. I heard his voice ring in my ears as I disappeared: Stay alert, my dear X. Good luck on beating Pi.  
  
* * *  
  
His last words rang in my ears with a curiousness of which I had never dreamed. "Good luck on beating Pi"? He, wishing me good luck? A Maverick, wishing a Hunter good luck on destroying another of their kind, without the customary "you're gonna need it" as an addendum? This situation had just become much more strange than I thought it could or should have been, and I wasn't sure I liked that.  
  
Nevertheless, I picked myself up the from the floor where I had fallen, and proceeded to make my way to the beginning of the corridor again. "Zero?" I called. "How close are you?"  
  
"In the fortress, X. You didn't tell us about the Hard-Hat army on the way in."  
  
"Sorry 'bout that," I said. "Must've slipped my memory banks."  
  
I walked close to the door. Zero would know where to go to bail me out. Through the melted metal and slag, I heard crashes and explosions outside. Sounded like Zero and the others were cleaning up, as usual. He radioed me suddenly.  
  
"X? You near the door?"  
  
"Yeah. Take it easy gettin' through here, please. I don't want a cave-in."  
  
"Shouldn't be a problem. Back up a bit, if you will."  
  
"Clear."  
  
"Comin' in!" he grunted. I saw a green streak fly through the metal mesh suddenly. I smiled. My friend's most recognized entrance: slashing through a wall with his Z-Saber.  
  
As chunks of metal disappeared from the hole, I began to yell: "Great goin', Zero, you're almost through!"  
  
A slab of metallic amalgam fell to my feet, and standing on the other side was my good friend Zero, surrounded by a pack of Hunters. The Hunters in back were still working on some of the excess drones as Zero greeted me. "Y'alright, buddy?" he asked.  
  
I smiled. "Sure am," I said, then reached for the package I'd captured. "And look what I brought with me!" I displayed the disks.  
  
He hinted a smile. "Great job X," he said, taking the disks and stuffing them onto a pack on his outer housing. "You found Spark Man yet?"  
  
"Not exactly," I said. "I know his vicinity, but I haven't been able to get to him yet."  
  
"Because you sealed yourself inside the corridor, doofus!"  
  
I smirked at him. "Just help me with this door, and we'll both look for him," I gestured at the icy portal at my left.  
  
"Sure thing," he said as he sliced it down quickly. "So he's in there?"  
  
I tapped my head. "Radar don't lie."  
  
"Kinda dark in 'ere," Shados, another Hunter, said in his striking Austrailian accent.  
  
I looked inside. Indeed, it was dark. Not quite pitch-black, but I couldn't've seen my hand in front of my face. If there was anything electric in there, it'd give off light. We'd be sure to find him.  
  
Zero gave some orders to the group, telling them to stay put, while he and I took to the dark corridor.  
  
"So we're partners again?" I asked.  
  
"Looks that way," he said.  
  
There was a concerning pause, then I remembered something:  
  
"Zero, something I meant to tell you. Right after I grabbed the disks, Sigma made me faint. He drew me into some odd world, twisted. It was weird."  
  
He let out an interested noise. "And...?"  
  
"He admitted he'd been causing me to be disoriented, saying he's looking around in my head for something...but I have no idea what. And get this...his last words to me, before sending me back, were 'Good luck on beating Pi.'"  
  
I couldn't see Zero's face, but I knew if I could have, he'd've been staring me straight in the eye with an ultra-questioning look on it. "So what are you saying? He wished you luck?"  
  
"Unbelievable to me too, but it's what he said. Also, his body was mostly shrouded in the darkness, but I could see a flash of blue and a white gloved hand."  
  
"Hmm..." he mused. "Curiouser and curiouser..."  
  
"Light, up ahead! Two o' clock!"  
  
There was a flickering light ahead, yellow in color, building as we got closer to it. The corridor opened into a main room, where a single Wily-Bot was hanging in the air charging a ball of electricity. His arms were two electric prods extending outward, and his feet were outfitted with white boots. His metal skin was tinted orange, and he looked thoroughly ancient.  
  
"Spark Man, I presume?" remarked Zero.  
  
I nodded, then tensed as the robot began to move. His eyes slowly opened, glowing a gentle yellow. His arms unfolded from the fetal position he was curled into, and his electric prods lengthened. His actions, however slow, were menacing and said what he chose not to: Time to die, Hunters.  
  
He hopped down from his podium and began his assault. Zero dashed away to a corner while I was left to deal with the antique. The spark ball he had been charging was lifted further into the air and hurled at me. I escaped it by dashing around it. He was powerful, but slower than me, and short on armor.  
  
I began to charge my Buster, readying myself for a shot. He fired several smaller shots at me, rapid-fire style, but I was able to dodge.  
  
Zero stood by, offering only a confident nod. He knew this was my kill. I had to destroy the 'bot to absorb its power anyway, so it made little difference.  
  
Feeling the max capacity accumulate, I drew back, raising the cannon over my head to squeeze off the shot. He never even saw it coming. The blast hit, erupting scrap and smoke.  
  
Conceding defeat, his spark powers dispersed into the atmosphere around me. As I used my energy-collecting powers to amass his ability, Zero waited, igniting his saber as sort of a makeshift torch; after Spark Man was defeated, the electric light in the chamber had vanished, and all was again very dark.  
  
We strode back through the passageway together, Zero turning off his saber as we reached the end. I turned, as we exited, to the door to Pi's chambers, firing a shot of plasma into it. The ice shattered, and I took a long look into the cold dark depths of this corridor. Zero addressed the Hunters, saying that everything so far had gone as planned, and to wait at the dropships for us. They assented, and rushed off.  
  
"Back to bot-bustin', buddy," I said to him. "Ready?"  
  
"As I'll ever be. Let's do this."  
  
We ambled through the passage that followed this door, meeting with several platoons of drones along the way. Against both Zero and I, however, they stood no chance. We were covering each other's backs as we nuked the enemy from every side. Through the corridor, we were unstoppable, then the hall opened into another room.  
  
The eerie bluish glow did nothing to calm my nerves. The only lights came from those weird blue torches, hung along the wall. In the center of the room, there stood a platform, set above the ground. Huge stone statues appeared to be leaning against the base, their craggy features shrouded by the shadowy flickering of the torches.  
  
What was more important was the female Reploid atop the platform. Garbed in pink and blue robes, she gave Zero and I a cold stare as we noticed her.  
  
"More friends have come to call," she said in a singsong voice. "Marvelous."  
  
"The name's X."  
  
"And Zero here."  
  
"And we're here to--putting it bluntly--take you out, Pi."  
  
She closed her green eyes for a moment, then opened them with an almost inaudible chuckle. "Another duo of would-be victors, eh? Who has sent you, then?"  
  
"We're of the Maverick Hunters," Zero spoke up, "and I've had my fill of these needless formalities. If you'll come quietly, no harm will come to you, we assure you."  
  
She laughed loudly. "Right. Always the peacemakers, aren't we, gentlemen? As part of Lord Sigma, I know all that he knew, dear X and Zero. Instead of trying to overtake me, I suggest you both come with me quietly and submit to the Maverick virus." She began floating off the platform.  
  
My teeth gnashed in my mouth. She was so stuck-up, it was making me sick!  
  
Zero cried out, "Never!!" and leapt toward her, slamming her to the ground, flat on her back. He brandished his saber, holding it to her throat menacingly. I heard him continue talking, now in a low growl: "You couldn't torture me long enough without killing me to make me go back to that. That hell cost me half my life."  
  
She shook off her look of surprise and donned a smile once again. "Really, I didn't expect such a vile distaste about it from you, Zero. You seemed to enjoy the times you had as a Maverick..."  
  
"I was insane. I killed innocent humans and Reploids without a second thought. I was a freakin' Maverick! I can't go back to that. I won't!" he said, edging the sword a bit closer to her throat.  
  
I looked on in disbelief. I had never seen Zero this way before, never with this thirst for blood I was seeing.  
  
"Zero, don't let her get to you," I called.  
  
"I'm okay, X. She just made me hit the boiling point, that's all."  
  
Pi raised an eyebrow cautiously. "I appreciate your physical attraction to me, young Hunter," she crooned, "but this really is my cue to exit."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself, Maverick," he said, spitting at her. "I'd just as soon dispose of you and free whatever poor Reploid you've infested."  
  
I saw her tap a button on her arm unit. "Zero, heads up!" I called.  
  
The faceless features of the rock statues seemed to flash red, then the entire mass of them came alive, breaking away from the center podium. "Zero..." I called, "need ya here, now!"  
  
He exhaled angrily in Pi's face once, twice before turning and dashing back towards my position to help.  
  
"You just gonna leave her there?" I asked as we began tearing into the stone sentries.  
  
"She's tryin' to get out a hidden door over that way," he pointed. "Tag her with your spark weapon and we can deal with her back at base."  
  
"On it," I said, leaping to avoid a stone fist. I began to concentrate back upon that electric energy I had collected, charging one large spark ball. I dashed around a fist or two, hopped onto and over the head of another statue, then rolled to a stop on the floor and fired the ball at Pi's back. It hit her in the small of the back, sending a yellow jolt of energy running through her body, then leaving her to shiver on the floor, still breathing.  
  
I rejoined Zero and aided him in defeating the rest of the statues. We blasted, sliced, dashed, jumped, punched, and kicked many more times before we were through. Finally, we had destroyed them all, leaving the floor of the chamber looking like a gravel pit. We both walked over in tandem to check on our electrocuted captive.  
  
My friend ran in Infolink cable from his arm's mini-computer unit to hers and got her vital stats. "She'll be alright," he said, "but adrenaline levels say she's gonna be awake within the hour. Get her back to the Hunter's HQ and see if you can defrag her system of the virus."  
  
"Me, Zero? You're not coming with us?"  
  
He shook his head, lowered it. "I feel as if I've got some reconciling to do with old friends. You go on ahead. I'll show up a little later on back at HQ."  
  
I nodded, didn't question him. When Zero needed time alone, he needed it badly and quickly. I knew better than to stand in the way of that. "Just let me know what's wrong later on, okay?" I asked.  
  
He nodded, one tear ran down his face. "Sure, X. I will." His words began to echo as his body was enveloped in a bright orange light that signaled he was teleporting somewhere. Where to? Didn't know. All I knew was that I had his word he'd be back later, and Zero never broke his word. 


	4. Zero's Memories

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Zero  
  
I really needed time at my meadow to think about what I'd just been through. I had just completely lost it when Pi had mentioned my past... I sighed. I knew why I'd done it...Pi reminded me so much of a friend of mine who turned Maverick just as her life was beginning to blossom. I remembered Iris, my friend, my... good friend. So many memories of her are still stored inside my head, many happy memories from the short time I knew her, never to die, as she had.  
Anyone will tell you that I am so totally not a being prone to blowing up at people, but if you test my bad side...be afraid, be very afraid.  
I laid back on the long grass in the meadow, thinking again how lucky I had been to find this place. I had made this my bastion, my place to come to get away from it all for just a few minutes. I had crashed for a nap in the grass, slept a few hours, and had definitely gotten what I wanted out of it: relaxation.  
All this aside, I still wondered why Sigma had wished X good luck in that vision, or whatever it was. Why had a Maverick wished my friend luck against fighting another of his own kind? Time held the answer, I knew; Time, that god of everything known and unknown. After waiting a while, Sigma's true motives would surface. I confided that to myself.  
Until then, however, I would go back to HQ and talk with X. Our mission had been accomplished, and that I was glad for. We had acquired the disks, X had defeated the Wily-Bot, and Pi had been incapacitated. I knew that once I returned, organizers would set their sights higher: Delta's fortress would be next.  
  
* * *  
  
I returned to base shortly after my cogitating in the meadow. X and the others had been waiting eagerly for my return: I remembered, only after they told me, that I had the disks with me. I handed them over to be destroyed, and asked how Pi was coming along.  
Dr. Cain and X gave no response, only gestured for me to follow them into one of the labs there. After walking in, I expected to see her dead, honestly. However, there she was, very much alive, standing up and with a glad twinkle to her eyes to see me.  
Running up to me, she hugged me to her and kissed my cheek. I gave her a look that said: Kindly lay off. I'm not that touchy-feely. She complied with my gaze, and stepped down. "Sorry. I'm just so grateful to you and X for freeing me."  
"Think nothing of it," I said. "Doc Cain here saved you. We just brought you here. In all fairness, you should be thanking him."  
She smiled sweetly. "Yes, thank you, Doctor," she said, swirling around to look at Cain. "I owe you my life."  
He now smiled and nodded at her politely. I had only heard the old guy speak a few times; however, he had his own way of expressing himself.  
"So what is your real name, Pi? I mean, I hate calling you by any name Sigma gave you," X said.  
She closed her eyes. "Now, it's foggy to me. When Sigma infested me and my sister, Delta, we were both young. I have almost no memory of who I used to be."  
I spoke up. "Would you mind if I suggested a name?"  
X smiled. He knew what I would say.  
"I owe you so much. I suppose the least I can do is to let you name me," she replied.  
I grinned. "Then call yourself Iris," I said. "It suits you well."  
She paused, as if thinking. "Iris..." she mused. "It does sound good for me. Did you just now think of it?"  
"It's in memory of an old friend," I said, quieter now.  
"Oh," she said simply. "I didn't know..."  
"I'm okay with talking about her," I said. "She's been gone over five years now."  
She lowered her head. "Iris," she muttered again. "I like it."  
"If you still feel as if you need some time to yourself, I know of a meadow where I go to think every now and then. You should go there."  
She nodded. "I have some time here. I'll do that."  
It was suddenly painfully obvious that conversation had become difficult to establish. You could've heard a pin drop, the silence was so deafening.  
"So we're hitting Delta next, I hear?"  
"Yes," X said in response. "And, as Iris mentioned, Delta's host is her sister."  
My eyes panned back to Iris. "Yes, although I can't remember her name either. Epsilon's host was not related to us, though; that I do remember."  
"So plan on giving Delta a new name when we get back here too," X told me with a smile.  
I smiled back. Briefings were given in fifteen minutes, after the dropships would land at Delta's. Our neural nets would receive the info we needed, while we cleaned up major security.  
Netrix, a fellow Hunter, suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Time to go guys," he announced. "Even the dropships won't wait for our two star Hunters."  
I smiled back at him. "We're there, Trix." Turning back to my newly named companion, I allowed her a smile as well. "We'll be back soon with your sister."  
She returned the grin with a small sparkle in her eyes. "I think I'll take a trip to that meadow while you're gone. I look forward to your return, Zero."  
I left the room with X in tow. Suddenly, a wave of some strange feeling swept over me. No way, I thought. I can't like her already! 


	5. Assault on Fortress Delta

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Zero  
  
As the dropships hurried away, our group of Hunters spread itself out. Our little brigade here numbered about forty. I drew my Z-Saber from its holding place and let the blade fly out. The green energy seemed a safeguard for me against the unseen evils within the fortress. The saber was my most cunning and devious weapon--while wielding this blade, I could do immeasurable damage. Using it gave confidence as well as an edge. I listened to my instructions over the Hunters' neural network as I looked for an opening target.  
I noticed, after scanning the scene, that there were many less Wily-Bots than had been present at Pi's fortress. Whether Delta's higher rank or need of tougher security nixed them, I do not know.   
"Hunter Units 0 and 17," began the recording of instructions through my radio, "your objectives at Delta's fortress are as follows: bypass any and all outer-core security as you make your ways into the inner core. Once there, you will find a series of traps which you must avoid to advance into the inner sanctum. Unfortunately, we have no details on the nature of these traps, so proceed through the inner core with extreme caution. Once inside the inner sanctum, a team of five Hunters will rendezvous and make their way to Delta's keep. After they have arrived, they must incapacitate Delta in some way, or in an emergency of extreme urgency, destroy her."  
I tensed on those final words. No way was I going to destroy Delta, and neither was anyone else; I'd make sure of that. She was too important to Iris to be destroyed. They needed each other too much.  
"10-4, HQ," I said back, confirming the receipt of the message. "X," I radioed across the way, "do a quick scan of the interior, will ya? We want to know what we're up against when get inside."  
"Will do, Zero," he replied. After a pause, I heard: "Can't scan through the wall. There's some kind of field blocking my radar."  
"Thanks for trying, buddy. Tell everyone to buckle down, and I'll begin security cleanup."  
"10-4, Zero."  
Outer security wasn't that tight at all. I guessed the inner security made up for it. Dashing quietly past the drones assigned to protect the exterior of the building, I radioed for the others to follow. I always liked trailblazing on mission like these. Gave me a thrill to be the first to evade the enemy defense, I guess.  
As the rest of the group sauntered up behind me, we easily trotted into the fortress. Inside laid a huge room, lit by only two lights: one at the peak of the ceiling, and one at the base of the floor. The room was in a semi-spherical shape, a dome. My heat sensory suddenly went nuts--there were countless "secret" trapdoors in the room, all hiding Wily-Bot and drone armies. I asked X to the front. "Any way you can figure out what opens these doors, X?" I asked.  
He shrugged. "Dunno. I would've thought proximity triggers, but..."  
I shook my head, interrupting him. "Laser-activated. The shortest route from one point to another is a straight line. An intruder wouldn't take a winding course around the walls."  
"I see your point. I'll get on finding those lasers."  
"Thanks, bud."  
"Switching sight mode to infrared," he commented as his eyes closed, then opened, red. I could see him visibly concentrating. "Definitely lasers. You were right. Just tell the others to stay tight and follow me."  
I nodded, following his sudden dash to the floor. Twisting our way around the room, we eventually made it to the center of the room. X cursed. "I swiped a laser! Get back!" As soon as he had finished saying those words, he was encased in a great cylinder of white light, then fired up through an open panel in the ceiling.  
I instinctively drew my saber. The trapdoors along the walls flew open, revealing a veritable army of drones. Wonderful, I thought. X, this'd sure be a lot easier if you were here...  
I radioed him quickly. "X, X, this is Zero. Where are you, bud?"  
I heard an irritated response. "Where d'ya think I am, Zero? That stupid tractor beam sent me onto the roof."  
"Are you okay?"  
"I guess so. Not hurt, just shook up. You know, I didn't think it was physically possible for your stomach to turn in knots, but I was proven wrong."  
I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, we've got drones up to our ears down here, any problems up there?"  
"Nothing I can't handle..." X said, then I heard a crashing from his radio. "Bass...."  
"Who's that?" I asked. Bass wasn't exactly a familiar name.  
"Bass. Wily's answer to Mega Man. Power-hungry robot."  
"Right. Just take him out and get back down here, please."  
"Easier said than done. Ground defense wasn't bad, but aerial defense could clean my clock."  
"Just be stealthy," I said as I dodged to avoid a shot. "We'll meet up at the inner sanctum. Find a way to get there."  
"Done," he said, ending the link.  
I swished my saber, striking a robot in the gut. "Now then, anyone wanna play, gentlemen?" 


	6. Another Chat with Sigma...and Tragedy

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Six  
  
X  
  
Bass's black boots clicked as he fell from his jump. His gold-trimmed helmet gleamed from the lights the flying drones cast. His eyes gave a sparkle of evil, and his lips curved into a tight, wicked grin.  
Then I let fly with a full charge of my X-Buster and blew him back to the scrap heap.  
But my problems weren't all gone yet. As I glanced into the air, I spotted about fifty flying units patrolling the rooftop. My job? Get past them all, to the inner sanctum. I had studied the blueprints of the building enough to know where it was, from the roof. Each of the drones I had to get past had an impressive weapons array, including explosive warheads and me-seeking radar. This was gonna be tricky.  
I dashed my way across parts of the roof at a time, always checking my back, then advancing further. I took a safe position for a moment, but couldn't appreciate the rest very long. My senses suddenly succumbed to the blackness of unconsciousness once again, as Sigma decided to have another little chat with me.  
  
* * *  
  
Hello again, X, his voice grated against my nerves.  
"What is it this time, Sigma?" I asked, annoyed. "Why have you called me again?"  
He allowed himself a hiss of a chuckle. The time has almost come for the world to fear me once again, X. Your time is soon to come, have no reservation.  
"Still can't tell me what's coming, eh?"  
Afraid not. However, if I were you, I'd voice any last-minute goodbyes to friends. Just a friendly reminder.  
"Riiiiiiiight.... Remind me why I'm taking advice from you now?"  
His voice returned to an angry growl. You'll be a problem. I'll get over it.  
"Just call me the perpetual thorn in your side, Sigs. I'll always be at least an annoyance to you."  
Oh, you won't be much more than that to me in a very short while. You'll see. I swear, just then, if he could have smiled with his voice, he would have. Now would you like to see what I have in store for you, X?  
I narrowed my eyes. "Show me."  
I spotted him moving around in the shadows, then saw him step into the light, facing me directly. My eyes inflated to three times their size. I looked him up and down. He was...ME!  
"So you only wished me luck against Pi because you didn't want me hurt. You wanted a perfect host body. Am I right?"  
My reflection began talking in Sigma's voice. "Correct. This is your fate, X. I will become you. My will shall overtake yours."  
I was infuriated. I spat on his face. Suddenly, I felt a drop of warm moisture on my own cheek. He let out an evil cackle as I used my arm to wipe away the spit from my face. "This is exactly how it will be, X! You will feel everything I do!"  
"It's not gonna happen. You're deluded."  
"You're entitled to your opinion, I suppose. At least, until I take you over. Enjoy your last few hours of freedom, X..." he said as he threw a hand into the air, returning me to the real world once again.  
  
* * *  
  
I blinked. I was back. Aerial security was still sweeping over the roof, looking for me. Thus far, the search had been useless, but they were closing in on me. I decided to attack. Concentrating on the spark energy I had collected back at Pi's, I powered up.  
Revealing myself from an overhang in the roof's structure, I pitched the enormous spark ball I had created at the oncoming drones. The electric luminescence washed over the group, and ten or twelve of them crashed to the roof. Traveling from one point to another, while dodging the drones' fire this way and that, I slipped behind them, catching them all with full charges of X-Buster shot. Eight more had bitten the dust.  
After an exhausting and boring pattern of dodging and firing, all the air security had finally been nullified.  
I had to find Zero and the others, now.  
  
* * *  
  
Zero  
  
We cleared out the drones pretty quickly, moving onto a gigantic locked door which led to the inner sanctum. My Z-Saber couldn't scratch it. I rallied the Hunters together to stand parallel to the door, having them charge to full capacity of their blasters. Once finished, they readied themselves.  
"Hold it, guys," I ordered. "Wait for my signal," I said, raising my other arm into the air. Throwing down my hand, I let fly with my shot, watching as the others followed suit. At once, the room became engrossed in a flash of blue-white light. My optical sensors were going mad! I heard a crashing noise from in front of me...  
"Did we get it?" asked Shados. "I can't see to save me life!"  
I stared, half-blind, at the spot where the door had once stood. It had been vaporized. "Yep," I said, snapping my fingers, "we got it!"  
"Let's go, then!"  
I chose four of the Hunters to accompany me inside: Shados, Wetrix (Netrix's brother), Zerrin, and Gyrus. "We're gonna murder that Maverick, boss," Zerrin said offhand.  
"Against orders, Zerrin. Don't kill her unless you absolutely have to."  
I nodded my head with that remark, and stepped into Delta's chambers.  
  
* * *  
  
The room was completely unfurnished, save for a back-lit map of the world on the wall furthest us. It lit the room with a spooky, uninviting greenish glow. After my eyes had adjusted to the lower lights, however, I noticed a computer system, set in one corner, and in the direct center of the room, there stood a shapely female silhouette.  
With a wave of her hand, lights popped on all around the room, driving away the ghastly green. Now, with the room fully lit, I was able to glimpse her face. In her forehead's center hung a precious pearl-colored stone of some description, her hair platinum blonde. She was dressed in a shiny, shimmery red wrap of some kind, and held in her grasp a packet of three grey-and-white sparkling disks.  
"Oh, visitors," she said, acting surprised. "Come in, won't you? I've been lonely in this fortress with no one but drones to talk to."  
Stepping forward, I spoke cautiously. "Maverick Delta, my name is Zero. We are a group sent by the Maverick Hunters to remove you from this place and capture your disks. Let's cut past this small talk, however. If you come with us quietly, we assure you, harm will not come to you."  
"Please, gentlemen. Spare me," she said, losing the red wrap. Underneath, I saw that she was more than prepared to defend herself. She wore an energy saber and a breastplate to match. She was Sigma's fencer this time, eh? All righty. I held a hand behind me, signaling my troops to stand by.  
I flashed my own saber forward, finding her stiff guard there. Truly as reckless as the Maverick which inhabited her, she immediately rushed towards me, trying a hard thrust at my left, then my right. I dodged both times, then dropped to the floor and raised my foot sharply. It caught her in the stomach, and her own momentum swung her over my foot and tossed her into the back wall.  
Hopping up, I ignited the saber and rushed for her. She sprang up as she saw my form darting ever closer and attempted to meet me half-way. We joined our swords somewhere close to the center of the room again, the plumes of light energy blazing together, shooting sparks this way and that. With every attack she threw, I countered, and she countered mine as well. No real damage was being done, and I was growing impatient.  
While grating the swords together, I heard Zerrin and the others murmuring over the racket, off to the side. From what conversation I heard, I thought I had a notion of what they were planning, but there was no time to act on it. Delta's saber came crashing down in an attempt to place my head between my feet. I parried the blow, scoring a small cut on her forearm. She grinned at me sinisterly. "TouchŽ, my fencing friend," she said, "but I shall have the final point."  
I doubted that. However, I remained silent. Her fate would come. I dodged another too-powerful thrust at my midsection. Twirling around, I made a horizontal slash which I was sure would remove her left hand, but no. Not even a scratch. Darn. I began concentrating on charging a shot from my cannon.  
With another graceful move, she whisked over to me, using her unscathed left hand to seize my saber from my grasp. With both sabers held at my throat, she forced me down to the floor. I cursed.  
"As I said, I shall have the final point. It's been fun, Zero," she said, "and I honestly didn't think it could end this quickly. Any last-minute good-byes?"  
"Just one," I said. "To you, dear Delta."  
Using my dash jets to roll backwards, I ended up about three yards from her, where she couldn't reach with the sabers. Holding my arm cannon steadily on her form, I said: "No one takes my saber and gets away with it, Maverick."  
Releasing the charged shot I had made earlier, I paralyzed her, plucking the disks from her belt, where she had clipped them earlier. From her hands, I plucked both the energy sabers, stowing mine in my housing and tossing the other to stick into the opposite wall. I turned to greet the Hunters and to receive the praise I well deserved.  
What I got was a shout of "Kill the filthy Maverick!" from Zerrin, signaling the other three Hunters to fire on Delta's helpless form.  
Everything then happened in a flash. I felt myself screaming "NOOOO!!!!" and rushing to block the blast from hitting Delta. What else could I have done? They were seriously violating orders here, and I'm not sure Iris could've taken the shock of hearing that her sister had been killed. Positioning myself where I would take the full brunt of the energy, I waited for the hit to come. White light rushed towards me. I spotted X crumbling a hole in the roof, entering the chamber. He glanced around, saw me, and immediately rushed to block the blast from striking me... I felt the heat of the blast, the crackling of then energy, and begged my friend not to sacrifice himself. He stood fast, not moved by my words. He just diligently closed his eyes and waited for the hit to come.  
And it did. 


	7. Possessed

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Zero  
  
The blast struck my friend X full in the chest, sending him falling to the floor, undoubtedly unconscious. I saw his chest armor smoking, turned him over to see how badly he was injured. He'd taken a hard hit, had a chunk of his armor burned off.  
Upset as I was, I plugged an Infolink cable into my friend's arm cannon, getting his vitals. He was alive, but very badly injured. Auto-repair couldn't even begin to work on this. We needed to get him back ASAP. "Guys," I called to the four who now hung their heads low, "get your commander back to HQ, now! He needs serious medical assistance! That's a direct order! We'll talk about what you four did back at base later."  
They picked up their fallen comrade with great sighs and sad eyes. They knew what they'd done was wrong. All I cared about was how Cain would handle them, and if X was going to be okay. They started a mass teleport out of the building and flew off, while I had a quiet moment with Delta.  
"Well, you'll meet your sister now, I suppose," I said. With a smile, I remarked: "You and I are going back to HQ on the double, you little troublemaker."  
Picking her from her resting place there, I closed my eyes and focused on my destination. Back to Maverick Hunter Headquarters I flew, through a cold, black night sky.  
  
* * *  
  
Sigma  
  
I opened my eyes cautiously. Or were they my eyes? Had the transfer worked? I couldn't tell yet. I took a look around. From somewhere to my left, I heard "He's coming to, Doc."  
Such a familiar voice...that was Zero! And, though it had been remodeled since I was last here, I recognized my location...the Maverick Hunter Headquarters' medbay!  
So the transfer of my will to X's mind had gone off perfectly. Wonderful... I thought. Just wonderful...  
I search X's mind for what to say. While using his body, I had to act the part. "Hey Zero," I said. "How am I?"  
"Good question," he said back. "Doctor, lemme see the vitals monitor."  
I glanced to the left and found Dr. Cain, the founder of the Maverick Hunters, moving around a monitor to give Zero a look.  
"Looks like all that hasn't been repaired is that gash in your chest, buddy," he said.  
I looked down there at X's chest, where Zero had gestured with his hand. Some enormous blast had ripped open a hole in his armor. "Yeow," I said faintly. "Still hurts me just to look at it."  
"I can imagine," he said. "Just take it easy for awhile, bud. Give the rest of the pain a bit to subside, will ya?"  
I faked a smile. "You know I'm an active kind of guy, Zero. I'm gonna eventually break my healing cycle."  
He cracked a smile back at me. "You're right, of course. Just take it easy, huh?"  
Out of nowhere his face conjured a concerned look. "By the way, while I'm thinking about it, have you had any other problems with Sigma lately?"  
I went completely blank. I couldn't think of anything to say for a second. Zero began to twist his face into a questioning stare.  
"You are all right, aren't you, X?"  
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Guess he's just makin' me a little scatterbrained, that's all."  
"Maybe you should sit out of the mission to Epsilon's," he said. "I'm worried you might zonk out during a shoot-out or something."  
"No, I'm okay, really. He won't cause me any more trouble for a while, I don't think."  
"If you say so, X. I trust you, man."  
Deep within my mind, a voice screamed to be released. X. Trying to get help from Zero or Cain. It won't work, X, I said to him. You can't use your own faculties anymore! You're a slave inside your own body!  
He spoke. Zero's been my brother since I joined the Hunters. He'll notice something's wrong sooner or later. He's not as dense as you think.  
I smiled. We shall see, X. Until then, however, I am in full control of what happens to you. Welcome to your nightmare, Hunter.  
"Did ya hear me, X?" Zero asked, apparently for the second time.  
"Oh, sorry, Zero, I skipped out for a sec. Must be the air in here."  
"I said 'You need to rest for awhile.' Get me?"  
I nodded, with a smile. "Just try an' strap me down, pal."  
He shook his head with a grin. "Yeesh. Just get some sleep already, will ya? Don't give me any more grief than you already have."  
I said nothing more, just turned over on my side and closed my eyes.   
Once Cain and Zero had left the room, I sat up and opened my eyes again. I thought for a second. Was it possible X could actually be right? Of course not. I held his mind in my hand. I could tap into any memory he had. Nothing was secret from me anymore. I would eventually rule again, now that I had the most powerful Reploid body ever created.  
The only drawback here was my lack of coordination and training with an arm cannon like X's. This I would have to get used to. It could work, I thought as I flexed my gun arm. Yes, this will work out well, I think. 


	8. A Double-Date and a Skirmish

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Zero  
  
Hi, it's me again. X had been healing well over the week; however, there was still some peculiar aspect of his demeanor that I just couldn't put my finger on. During his healing, he'd been training more extensively in the simulation rooms with his X-Buster--making sure he could still be in top-notch condition for the raid on Epsilon's, I guess.  
Speaking of that, we had used this week to plan our attack on Epsilon's fortress. We knew most of his army because of their past history as Mavericks. Among the more famous were Serges, Agile, Violen, Vile, and Magma Dragoon. We used every chance we were offered to spy on what we could to see what kind of drone security they'd built.  
We had discovered something interesting about their Maverick armies, however. Sigma must not have had any time to spare in coming up with his hordes of minions; we found out that these Mavericks were actually only cheap Reploid imitations built onto the old Mavericks' outer housings. They were false clones of the originals, which is why the ones we'd fought before were so easy to destroy.   
Back at base, Cain and I'd just sorted out the problem of Zerrin and company's actions at Delta's fortress. They were court-martialed and sentenced to a few months of unpaid service around HQ. And speaking of Delta, she'd been drained of sigmae mavericus particles hanging out in her neural systems. She'd been renamed by Cain, not me. I wasn't able to come up with anything at the time, but he suggested "Roll", in the memory of the original Mega Man's sister unit. She and Iris had a teary reunion, and Iris once again threw her arms around me, thanking me for all I'd done. I again redirected her to Cain, and she gave him that same smile. I rolled my eyes at her, then doubled over laughing. That enthusiastic beam of hers cracked me up, for some odd reason. She put her hands on her hips, donning a playfully stern look, trying to pick me up from where I'd bent over in hilarity.  
Sliding her arm under my chest, she pulled me to my stand again. The playful expressions we had had on our faces before suddenly melted away. It was a tense moment. Our faces drew nearer, we both prepared ourselves, began to close our eyes, and...  
"Uh, I'll just leave now, kids," Cain broke in quietly. Even with his small voice, it was enough to douse the moment for now.  
"Yeah," I said as I felt myself blushing. "Uh...Just, uh....wanna get some dinner...uh...with....with me, I...Iris?" I managed to stutter.  
She chuckled. I guess it was obvious I wasn't too good at this. "Sure, loverboy," she said, hugging me. She whispered in my ear: "And for a guy who doesn't like to be touched, I'd say you honestly wouldn't have minded the kiss."  
I managed a nervous smile down at her. She stood a head shorter than I did, even with her boots. She was so beautiful, and I knew she loved me. Somehow, though, this was all going a little too fast for me. When I'd met the other Iris, I'd taken it quickly with her, too. Why I felt insecure and nervous this time around, I didn't know. All I knew was that this Iris and I both had only one thing in common: Sigma. Kinda spooky. With that, however, we had more in common than anyone could know. I rested my head on hers, kissing her forehead sweetly. "Will that do for now?" I asked.  
She smiled. "I'll take it."  
"What kind of food do you want? I can find almost anything in town."  
X came over to me, slapped me on the shoulder. "Just call him Zero, the only Reploid with a preferred diner's card."  
"Thanks, bud," I said, rolling my eyes at him.  
Iris broke in with a small laugh. "I think I have an appetite for Italian," she said. "I need something hearty to celebrate all this stuff you two've done for us."  
"Mama Pepelli's it is," I said, taking her hand. "X, Roll, care to join us?"  
Roll nodded. "Sure, why not? Been awhile since I could enjoy a meal."  
X nodded. "I'm going if she is, I guess," he said, jerking a finger at Roll.  
Stealing out of the medbay, we made our way to the hangar and then flew one of the smaller, noncommissioned ships out to the quaint Italian restaurant, just on the outskirts of Jolozt City.  
It had been awhile for me since I'd been among humans, other than the good doctor Cain, of course, and at first when our group entered the restaurant, it felt to me as if every eye stared at us. There wasn't really discrimination between humans and Reploids, but we intimidated them, I knew. I gave some a smile and a small greeting with my hand, then turned to the seating droid positioned next to the door.  
Following the droid where asked, we found our way to a clean booth, where silverware and a computerized touch-menu greeted us. Opening the "Pasta" window of the menu, I found a plate of fettucini that looked appetizing and selected it. X and Roll chose to split a pizza, and Iris found some veal parmesan for herself. The joint order was sent to the kitchen, from whence a robot would deliver us our food later.  
"The stuff here's great," I remarked. "The atmosphere is almost as important as the food in a restaurant like this, I think. I feel like I'm in Venice."  
Iris nodded. "Everything looks very quaint and antiquated here. You'd never think it was almost totally automated. The wallpaper, the plant life, the stone look of the place as a whole--looks old-fashioned, charming."  
"I think we need something to celebrate this..." I said, beckoning a service droid. "Yeah, could you send us a bottle of wine or something?" I asked.  
"Certainly, sir. What kind of wine would you like?"  
At this I was stumped, but Iris was glad to answer for me: "Just a mild sherry, please."  
The robot looked back at me after hearing her answer. "Your identification, sir?"  
"Please, I'm a Reploid. Intoxication doesn't affect us. I just wanted it for the taste."  
"Of course, sir," the robot said, floating off.  
"Thanks for helping me out with that," I said, squeezing her hand. "I'm a wine drinker, not a wine connoisseur."  
"Understandable," she nodded.  
"You are picking up the tab for this, aren't you, X?" I asked jokingly.  
"As long as you're buying me lunch for the next three weeks," he said back. "And you know how I eat."  
"That I do," I said with a smile. "Forget it, I'll pick up the check on this one. Just be ready to do me a favor sometime soon."  
"And what, getting your body parts back from the X-Hunters wasn't a favor?"  
"Okay, okay," I admitted, beaten. "You don't owe me a thing."  
"Darn right I don't," he said, reaching across the table to smack me on the head playfully.  
He sat back down and looked over at Roll, smiling. "How did I get stuck with you, anyways?"  
She smiled and took the joke, then gave X a light slap on the head. "You'd get more than that if we weren't in public," she chuckled.  
A droid appeared from the kitchen and ferried us our dishes. I noticed Iris glancing over at X, then, as I began to spear some of my pasta with a fork, her mouth dropped open, her eyes wide with...fear?  
Thankfully, my friend was chatting with Roll for a moment, so he didn't notice. I took Iris's hand from under the table, explained to Roll and X that she looked a bit pale, and pulled her outside for a moment to talk.  
"What's the matter? The veal cost too much?" I asked when we stepped into the night air.  
She shook her head, covered her face with her hands. "No, Zero. When I looked at X a moment ago, I could've sworn I saw Sigma's eyes in his."  
"What are you saying, Iris?" I asked. "X has been acting exactly as himself lately. How could Sigma have gone this long without goofing if X had been infested somehow?"  
"You told me how Sigma had taken X into periods of unconsciousness, didn't you? What if when he got blasted by Zerrin and the others, Sigma knew that X's mind was dormant? He had a good four hours' worth of opportunities to go for it. What if, Zero? What if?"  
I nodded. "I think I know what this is," I said, touching a finger to my chin. "I think you're feeling after-effects of the infection by the virus. It makes you go weird like this sometimes, believe me."  
She lowered her head, nodded. She spoke in a quiet, doubting voice: "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is just me."  
I nodded, lifting her chin with a finger to look into my eyes. "Now let's go back in, before X tries to get at your veal, okay?"  
She managed a half-smile now. "Okay."  
Walking back in, we sat down with the others. I ate the bite of fettucini I had forked earlier, and took a glance up at my friend, laughing with Roll about some joke he had read. No way could this guy be Sigma, I thought. He's been acting completely normal. Well, normal for X, anyways. I took a look at Iris. She had cut a chunk of veal and now put it in her mouth. She gave an affirmative nod as she tasted the meat. I smiled. Good, she likes my choice of restaurants too. She and I will get along well, I thought.  
I took another glance back at X. Still chatting it up with Roll on his side of table. Now that I thought about it, there was some small part of me that said he had been acting strange lately. How, I didn't know. My Hunter instincts definitely felt something about him, though, something dark...  
Even if Iris was right, I didn't want to bring it to X's attention here. If he was Sigma, I didn't want to start a battle in the middle of the restaurant. I didn't want anyone hurt here, especially Iris or Roll. I'd talk with my friend when we returned home.  
  
* * *  
  
We finished the meal rather uneventfully and flew back to HQ. Once there, I asked to speak with X privately. The girls ran to find a holo-game or something, and I walked with X into one of the smaller, empty rooms.  
Shutting the door, I asked outright: "Listen, you said there'd been no trouble with Sigs lately, right? Could he have ruptured a memory bank or something while he was screwing around inside your head?"  
"Why d'ya, ask, Zero?" he said with an innocent look. "Have I been acting like anything other than myself lately?"  
I shook my head faintly, with a soft, exasperated sigh. "You've just had this strange air about you ever since you got back from Delta's, that's all."  
"Is that it?" he said with a smile. "Plasma does weird things to your memory in high concentration, bud. If I've been trippy, that's why."  
I believed him, but I still sensed very strong, gloomy vibes coming from him. "S'what I thought too. It's just that Iris saw something about you at dinner tonight..." then my voice seemed to take on a mind of its own as it trailed off. I stared coldly into X's eyes. I saw the same strange reflection of the Maverick that Iris had described earlier. "Sigma, if you've infested X, so help me..." I growled.  
He closed his eyes, chuckling. Reopening them, a pair of cold, dark blue eyes had replaced X's own soft, friendly brown ones. Sigma had been unmasked yet again. X's voice sunk to a deep bass: "So help you, what? What can you do to me? I've infested the most powerful Reploid body ever created! Even your power is shabby next to X's, Zero, and you know it."  
"But you can't control a borrowed body as well as your own, Sigma. My coordination will beat out your power."  
"Well, in any event, you are the only one who knows anything about me, and must therefore be terminated."  
"Don't count on it," I said, taking my saber from its holding place. I narrowed my eyes at him and shifted my weight. "Prepare yourself, Sigs."  
"I've been training with the Buster, don't forget, Zero," he chided. "You may be getting yourself into more than you bargained for."  
"So what's your plan after you get rid of me, Sigs? Or should I ask?"  
"Mainly to destroy Maverick Hunter HQ from the inside out. As X, that should be simple enough to accomplish."  
Not if you're not inside HQ, I thought, leaping toward him. Tackling him by the shoulders, I slammed his head backwards and started a teleport, keeping focused on him as well as myself. He had no choice but to come with me. As he swore, flying through the roof in the great orange ball of light that we were, it echoed out from the room, filling the halls for one brief moment.  
Then, in the blink of an eye, we were in my meadow. I dashed backward a few times to keep a safe distance between us both. Whether or not he wanted to fight, it didn't matter now. He had to destroy the only flaw in his plans: me. He called for his cannon through the neural network of Reploid minds, watching it appear in wireframe on his arm, then drawing itself into reality. His helmet appeared with a flash atop his head, and he donned a battle face. Concentrating as I flipped my Z-Saber from its scabbard on my back to my hand, my helmet appeared on my head as well. Small green and blue balls began flowing toward his body, telling me he was charging a shot of plasma. I sized up my opponent here. I knew X's moves, and I knew Sigma would tap them, but I also knew that he'd blend in his own bit of recklessness. If anything was going to win the battle for me, it'd be his carelessness. Igniting the saber, I circled him tightly, giving him a fierce stare. He, likewise, offered only a cold gaze to me, silently cursing me, no doubt.  
"You can't win," I called. "I know both of your forms' attacks all too well. Your patterns are predictable. I'll spare you for now if you leave X."  
He laughed out loud. "I think you should be the one asking for the chance to be spared, Zero. I wouldn't be so cocky. Just because I'm in X`s body doesn't mean I've lost my own strength. His and mine have combined themselves. We are a true hybrid. Expect the worst from this battle, Zero." He changed his voice for a moment, allowing X's higher voice to speak two words in disgust: "Zero, buddy."  
I growled and slammed my weight forward with my saber. He expected it and stepped to one side quickly. My weight carried me to the ground, where I lay for a second, hearing his dark chuckling behind me. I picked myself up and readied myself again, this time calming my nerves. I couldn't screw this thing up. I needed to get rid of Sigma without destroying X.  
He hasn't used that charged shot yet, Zero, I reminded myself. Expect that coming your way soon. Getting my footing again, I waved the saber around slowly, remembering the heft of the pommel. I twirled it around once or twice to prove my dexterity again. He stood a ways from me, seeming unimpressed by the show of skill. Raising the X-Buster to my eye level, he let go with the shot he had charged earlier.  
Out of reflex, I swung the saber up to meet the blast, bouncing it away harmlessly. I was deadly with this saber, and he knew it.  
"Very good, Zero," he said quietly. "But can you repel fifteen smaller blasts at once?" he finished, rapid-firing about that many at me. I dug my feet into the earth, clutching the saber tightly. Swiping at the bolts of plasma fifteen times in rapid succession, I bounced them all back towards him, where he, with an astonished look, leapt to avoid being hit by them.  
"I feel as if I'm being toyed with here, Sigma," I said. "So why don't you just destroy me here and now, if you're as powerful as you say?"  
He grinned. "You have been a true pain to me, Zero. No, your death will be much more slow and painful than that. I've waited so long for that moment, and when I win it, I want it to be pleasurable for me. To know that I will have no other competition for the conquest of the Reploid race, then the Earth... Such a wonderful feeling."  
"One you'll never feel," I said, smiling in the irony of the moment. "Why don't you give me your last words now, Sigs? I'll read `em at your eulogy."  
"Your wit was always your best quality, I suppose, Zero. We could have ruled the world together. Didn't you know that?"  
"I wouldn't want to rule a world controlled by Sigma," I snapped. "Nothing good could come of it."  
"My world could be flawless! Run by computers, there would be no opposition, no war! The world could be perfect!"  
"Computers are only as flawless as their programmer," I said. "And as long as a virus ruled the world, it would be chaotic. Can't you see the world would be doomed if a constructed flaw like you in the computers themselves took over?"  
He frowned. Maybe after all this time, I'd finally gotten through to him. Maybe I'd hit just the right nerve to make him see things sensibly.  
His sudden dash towards me was unexpected. His skin flashed orange and gold momentarily, a few shots of electric energy escaping his arm cannon's barrel, punching me in the gut.  
Maybe not, I thought.  
"It's not within my programming to find error in it," he said. "It's the fault of my programmer, not me."  
"I understand that, Sigma," I said through gnashed teeth, "but as long as you continue this ruthless fight, you have to be blamed. As long as we know no way to change your programming, you are the one who takes the fall. You have a conscience, Sigma," I said. "Use it."  
"I take the blame for what I am about to do."  
He charged another spark ball, tossing it at me. I had no chance this time. I came crashing down onto the ground, my entire body in agony from the electric energy. My saber flew from my hands, landing in the bushes somewhere behind me.  
He now stood over me, concentrating. I heard the high-pitched whine of his Buster charging. I closed my eyes. I was done for. I lay my head back onto the thick grass and waited for the plasma bolt to come. This was the second time I would face death since the beginning of this mission, and I would face it with honor.  
His cannon beeped, signaling full capacity. That was the death bells ringing for me. It was hard to believe my death was to come from the same friend who had saved my life some years ago.  
I opened my eyes briefly, seeing him level the cannon at my chest. My arms and legs were nothing more than dead weight, paralyzed for the moment by the electricity. "The time has come for your destruction, Zero. Prepare yourself for the afterlife."  
I again closed my eyes, surrendering. I heard the cannon go off with a whoosh, then all was suddenly silent. 


	9. On the Road to Recovery

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Zero  
  
I waited for the blast to overtake my body. I had been killed several  
years ago by Vile, but X had brought me back from the grave. My life flashed  
before my eyes in barely recognizable scenes: I spotted Iris, the real Iris, her  
brother Colonel Kenissa, and I spotted X. My friend, I'm sorry it ended this  
way. Don't blame yourself, I thought.  
After ten seconds, I got impatient. What was keeping that blast? If  
my end was going to be this dramatic, I wanted to die quickly. As I opened  
my eyes, I saw Sigma, fallen to one knee, my Z-Saber stuck in the spot on his  
chest which had been ripped open before, back at Delta's. He used what  
seemed like his last bit of strength to pull the blade free and stick in the  
grass next to my head.  
I managed to get up, Sigma still making no reaction except the  
occasional grunt. He held his gun arm tightly; I realized his cannon must have  
malfunctioned when he got hit. Thinking for just a second, I ran over to the  
bushes where my saber had flown just moments ago. Crouched there in a  
state of shock, I found Iris. As soon as she saw me, our eyes met and she  
cuddled up next to me, her eyes freely flowing with tears. "Teleported here,  
eh?" I whispered.  
She nodded against my chest. "I heard you two leave from HQ and I  
knew something was wrong. When I found your saber here, I threw it at him,  
and--"  
I hugged her to me. "You'll be okay. Just in a little bit of shock from  
having to fight again, that's all. Wait here. I'll be right back."  
Walking over to where Sigma now had fallen off his knees and onto  
his back, I delicately wedged my cannon underneath his chin, charging a shot.   
"This is always the way I've wanted to see you, Sigma, bent over and leaving  
your fate at my mercies." I narrowed my eyes angrily. "Unfortunately, I  
never thought you would be in X's body."  
He opened his eyes, looked up, still quiet, then he mouthed  
something: "Zero, it's X."  
My frown disappeared instantly. I looked deeply into his eyes again.   
No trace of that cold blue was there, no iota of ruthlessness or cruelty. He  
was X again.  
I dropped to my knees, throwing my arms around my friend. "I've  
missed you, man."  
He half-wheezed a laugh, saying faintly, "Missed me too, Zero."  
"Listen, you gotta get back to medbay. Can you `port?"  
"I think so. You get Iris, I'll be okay."  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah. Just go. Your girl's waiting for you, Zero. Don't keep her too  
long," he smiled, as blue light enveloped him.  
As his form dissipated, I walked back to where Iris stood, holding her  
head in her hands. "I feel dirty, going back to the fight, Zero," she said.  
I let her put her head on my chest as I consoled her. "It's all right," I  
said. "I felt the same way, when I first went back into fighting. It's normal."  
She cried quietly for a second, then I put a finger under her chin and  
raised it to look up at my eyes. She said nine words simply, and with a kind  
and hopeful tone: "At least this time, I picked the right side."  
I smiled. "Do you want to go back into the fight for real? I can get  
Dr. Cain to upgrade your attack systems, if you want."  
"Would you?" she asked desiringly. "If it would help destroy Sigma, I  
want to go back into this fight."  
She stared into my eyes expectantly, as if trying to search for  
something there. Something, maybe, I wasn't telling her. When she found  
nothing, she lowered her head again.  
"Will I ever find true peace for myself, Zero? I feel as if I can't live  
with myself, because I've been a Maverick. Did you feel that way?"  
I nodded, remembering my past. "Yeah. I've felt that way, still do  
sometimes. For me, just coming here and thinking about it helps me, but I  
don't know about you."  
She lifted her head again, looking into my eyes even more deeply  
than before. It all happened more quickly this time. Our faces moved closer  
together, and we kissed. I closed my eyes, sighing silently. It was all too  
perfect.  
When we drew away, she hugged me tightly and whispered, "I think  
just being here with you helps me overcome my memories, Zero."  
I hugged her back. "Who am I to argue?" With a command of my will,  
we began teleporting back to HQ, still holding each other tightly.  
  
  
* * *  
  
I checked in with X, after waiting the customary hour for natural  
healing processes to begin. I didn't want to have a conversation with X and  
still have him be sore, so easy to rub the wrong way.  
Walking through the automatic door, I addressed him quietly: "Hey  
buddy. How are ya?"  
He groaned a little bit, sitting up. "A little sore, but all right. If  
Sigma ever infests me again, just kill me, will ya? My achin' everything..."  
I laughed. It was good to have my friend back.  
"So how's Iris? She seemed a little shook-up when I left."  
"Oh, she's alright," I said. "Just a little scared about fighting again,  
that's all."  
"I guess that's natural," he nodded understandingly. "Check my  
monitor, will ya? See how I look on the inside."  
I gave him a thumbs-up, sauntering over to check the vitals monitor.   
The Sigma virus had been drained almost completely from his system; when  
Sigs had left X's body, he'd left a big residual chunk of himself behind. Dr.  
Cain insisted that it all be drained before X was allowed to fight again. I  
couldn't blame him.  
"Healing processes are nearly complete," I remarked. "Your sigmae  
mavericus count is at about 5%, thank goodness."  
"We weren't sure all of it would go away," X remembered. "Like you."  
I nodded. "There's still some part of the virus in me. For now, it's  
dormant, but it'll come back to life again soon, I think. What it'll do, I don't  
know."  
"You're stronger than that," X said. "You won't let one little chunk of  
it take you over."  
I nodded halfway. "Dr. Cain says there's something about me that  
actually makes the virus part of me and the Reploid part sort of symbiotic.   
There's still some sort of weird link between me and Sigs."  
"Oh, meant to ask you earlier: what happened to Zerrin and the  
others that fired on me?"  
I laughed. "Seeing if justice was properly given, X?" With a smile and  
a nod, I continued: "They're doing work now for no pay. They're--ahem--  
'collaborating' to send you on a vacation, anywhere you want within reason,  
after all this junk is over."  
"Meaning...?"  
"Cain's taking their paychecks and using the money to send you  
somewhere."  
"Good enough. Lemme get some rest and take something for my  
back, will ya?"  
I handed him a bottle of aspirin from a table on the wall of the room,  
bringing a glass of water with it. "Sleep well, buddy," I said. "Hope you feel  
better soon."  
He took two pills and drank some of the water, then adjusted his  
position on the bed and dropped back onto his pillow. Closing his eyes, he  
drew the sheets up around his shoulders. I smiled. "Lights," I commanded.   
The room grew darker instantly, and I walked out of the room.  
Walking into the hall, I had momentarily forgotten what it was I  
wanted to do. I remembered a second later, and turned to walk to the holo-  
simulator. Chakra, a fellow Hunter, nearly fell over as I ran into him.  
"Chakra! Sorry, man," I apologized as he steadied himself. "Didn't  
hear you behind me."  
"That became quite apparent to me when you ran into me,  
Commander. Listen, you showing up at the briefing for the raid on Epsilon's  
fortress later?"  
"Have to," I said. "I'm the commander of my own unit. It'd look bad  
if I skipped out on everybody else. I think you're sounding a tad  
insubordinate."  
"Sorry sir, didn't mean it..."  
I smiled. "I'm kidding, Chakra. I do that. Yes, I'll be at the briefing."  
He smiled, nodded. "Good. I need to discuss something with you."  
"What is it? I've got time now."  
"Well, I just didn't want to..."  
"Nonsense," I said. "You wouldn't be bothering me at all."  
"Alright," he said. "The raid on Delta's...who organized it?"  
I bit my lip. "Uhm...as far as I know, Argyle did."  
"Oh, all right. I just needed to know who to thank for  
X's...accident..."  
"You think Argyle set Delta up to die?"  
"Could be, Commander. I'm not at all sure, however. Don't go  
spreading anything around."  
"I won't," I noted. "I definitely don't start rumors."  
"Thank you sir," he said, saluting, turning to walk off.  
I stopped him. "Oh, and Chakra?"  
He turned. "Sir?"  
"How much vacation do I owe you now?"  
He smiled. I had owed him months of paid vacation, but had never  
gotten around to dealing with it because of Sigma's frequent attacks. "Six  
months, by my last count, sir," he said.  
"After this, I'll let you take some leave. I'll organize a vacation for  
you, wherever you want."  
"That's very generous of you, sir," he nodded. "Thank you."  
"Don't mention it," I waved a hand. "Now go ahead, do whatever it is  
you tech guys do in your spare time."  
He turned again, stopping halfway through the rotation. "You sure  
there's nothing else you need, sir? Anything bothering you?"  
I smiled. "Go ahead, Chakra. See you at the briefing."  
"Sir," he grunted as he walked off.  
I smiled. I liked Chakra. I'd put in a good word to Cain about him,  
maybe get him to command a unit of tech engineers.  
In any event, I made my way to the holo-simulator, drawing my saber  
as I came in. "Computer, please run training program 4199," I commanded as  
I entered.  
"Acknowledged," the computer's female voice buzzed. "Loading  
targets..."  
I closed my eyes. Igniting the saber, I inhaled deeply, then exhaled.   
This was gonna be fun. "Begin program," I said to the computer.  
A target popped up to my left. Its face was that of Sigma's, with  
his evil smirk. You captured his look almost perfectly, Cain, I thought. I  
turned with the saber in one fluid motion, slicing it in half. The pieces fell to  
the floor, then gently faded away. I couldn't let my guard down; another  
target came from my left. I turned, sliced it. Every hit came in less than a  
second, my efficiency rating no doubt higher than it had been two weeks ago,  
when I last trained.  
Our entire group has been through so much, I thought. And it's not  
over yet. Whatever good luck charm is keeping us alive this long, keep  
working, please!  
As I sliced the final target of a 100-target series, I immediately  
powered down the saber and stowed it in its scabbard with a bit of a flourish.   
The computer buzzed. "Time: zero minutes, twenty-one point three-five  
seconds. Efficiency rating: 98%. Targets hit: 100."  
"Aww, I was robbed," I said, exiting the simulator. There would be  
other training sessions, of course. I could get better and better.  
I found X staggering a bit outside his room. "Hey, Zero. M'gonna go  
grab a bite to eat with Roll. You and Iris wanna come?"  
I shook my head. "Not hungry, but thanks anyway. Need some time  
alone."  
He lowered his head in defeat. "Can't charm you outta this one, I  
suppose. We'll miss you at lunch, bud," he said, regaining his footing and  
turning to walk off.  
"And I you, X. Have fun!" 


	10. A New Facet

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
X  
  
After our lunch, Roll and I headed back to HQ. Se went off her own way to  
find Iris and talk. I, however, after checking my internal clock, realized I had  
about thirty seconds to get to the briefing room before the plans for raiding  
Epsilon's fortress were discussed. I swore to myself silently and dashed all  
the way to the room. Knocking Skyler, another Hunter, down once, I stopped  
to apologize, and dashed off again.  
Thankfully, my auto-repair systems had handled the wound on my  
chest, and had numbed my soreness. I was glad for that. I needed to be in  
tip-top shape for this next mission.  
I opened the door of the conference room very quietly and slowly.   
Every eye in the room turned to stare at me as I entered, even the speaker,  
Netrix, pausing to look at me and smile. Amazing, I thought. I've been able to  
sneak my way into many a fortress, but I can't get into one meeting without  
everyone noticing me. I managed a half-smile and a nervous laugh to  
everyone, then took a seat beside Zero and Chakra. Zero looked a little  
flustered from his training, his hair a little wild. I stifled my laughter and  
watched the main holographic display as Netrix gestured toward it every now  
and then with his pointer.  
"Zero," I whispered, "where's Iris?"  
"Dr. Cain's upgrading her weapons and defense systems to Hunter  
standards."  
"You mean...?"  
"She wants to fight with us, X," he hissed. "Roll's hot for the idea,  
too, I heard."  
"She went off to talk to Iris, my foot," I muttered to myself.  
"What was that?"  
"That's where Roll is now, probably. Down at the upgrades lab."  
Zero nodded. He tapped his arm's mini-computer. "I keep tabs on  
this place more than Cain does. She's down there right now with Iris, getting  
air-dash enhancements installed."  
"Little paranoid about security, are we, Zero?" Chakra whispered,  
smiling.  
Zero was about to give him what-for when Netrix made a very  
deliberate cough from the podium. "Ahem, gentlemen..."  
All three of us turned to stare at him. "Really, gentlemen, I  
expected a little more attention from you both," he gestured to Zero and I.  
We both cast sheepish grins and sat back in our seats. Chakra  
shrugged his shoulders and sat back up as well. "Now, if there are no further  
interruptions, any other conversations anyone needs to carry..." Netrix said,  
addressing the room, "I'll continue.  
"Epsilon has the final three-disk package of sigmae mavericus  
source code, as you all know," he said. "Your aim while in his fortress is to  
retrieve these disks for destruction, and to disable Epsilon. I must repeat,  
for all of those that were on the last mission..." with this, he took a gaze at  
Zerrin, Gyrus, Wetrix, and Shados, "that this Maverick is not to be destroyed  
or terminated in any way, unless a case of EXTREME emergency arises. Is  
that clear?"  
Everyone answered affirmatively. "Good. You'll receive further,  
more detailed instructions when you arrive at Epsilon's. Until then, you're  
dismissed."  
I stood up. "One thing, Netrix...?"  
He motioned for everyone else to sit, then gestured towards me.   
"Yes, Commander?"  
"About the disks we've been retreiving... Is it possible that all of  
Sigma's archives could be on the tenth disk, and the rest simply be fakes?"  
"I suppose it could be, X. However, our sources had confirmed that  
the archives were split among these ten for security reasons."  
I frowned at that. Zero had told me at lunch, via our  
communicators, about Chakra's theory of Argyle... "Could it possibly be that  
we have a leak here? A Hunter in our very midst, giving us false  
information? You recall as well as I do, Netrix, that no one has checked the  
contents of the disks..."  
"Because they contain parts of the Sigma virus. If we were to scan  
them in a computer, he could take it over and tap into the Hunters'  
networks..."  
"His parts are in archives, supposedly. They aren't active while  
compressed into archives, Netrix. And still, no one has surveyed the  
contents of these disks. The tenth disk could very well be the only one with  
any contents."  
He nodded, defeated. "We'll scan those that come back from  
Epsilon's," he said. "Thank you, sir."  
"Thank you, Netrix."  
"Now can we dismiss?"  
"Dismiss away."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero  
  
I waited for the dropships to land. I had never been more anxious about  
anything in my life. Trying as this battle was, even more trying was the wait  
on my nerves. I cleared my throat as I stared out of the dropship's window  
to the earth below.  
As the ship landed as the doors were flung open, I practically leapt out of  
the opening, overly eager to get this battle over and done with. Staring up at  
the black tower that was Epsilon's fortress, I found its massive shape to be  
bleak and uninviting. One entire wall was covered with a light green ivy of  
some species, which had no flowering blooms of any description. The sky  
around here had taken on a dramatically red air, with a greyer sea of clouds  
hanging over the fortress. Nice touch, I thought cynically. Overall, the whole  
thing was pretty damn creepy.  
As we approached the building, we noticed no outside security. Epsilon  
must've been comfortable with tougher security inside. I kept my hopes up  
about this. We knew almost nothing about the specs of this stronghold, just  
as we had not for Pi's or Delta's. We had come through those okay. We  
could do this.  
I stepped to the front of the line, sliding up alongside X. With a toss of  
my hair and a signal to HQ to begin our mission objectives recording, I was  
going in. 


	11. The Return of Vile

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Sigma  
  
I stalked back to my hidden outpost, infuriated that I was not able to  
defeat Zero with X's body. That meddlesome Iris girl... She's the cause of my  
failure... I thought angrily. I flew from Zero's meadow and back to a secret  
lab, where a new battle body was being constructed for me.  
As I came in, I gaped at the splendor of it. It stood about eight feet tall,  
weighing a little under a ton. Armed with multiple lasers, near-impenetrable  
armor, and enough extra firepower to take down Epsilon's, Delta's, and Pi's  
security combined, it was quite a sight. I myself marveled at it,  
congratulating the good doctor who built it for me. I walked away in a cheap  
Reploid body I had made for myself, evilly grinning as I left the room. He was  
very close to completing his task, and once he finished...I wouldn't need him  
anymore, and neither would history.  
X and Zero were meaningless now. Once this body was finished, I could  
ravage any Maverick Hunter, including those two. Soon, I would have no need  
to hide in this lab anymore. Until then...I would get some rest. I laid back  
onto a cot set up in one room, instantly falling asleep and dreaming of sweet  
victory for myself.  
  
* * *  
  
X  
  
Zero looked over at me and gave me a thumbs-up as he sliced open the  
door leading into Epsilon's acropolis. With his opening of the massive  
portcullis there came a high-pitched whine, signaling us to attack. Security  
was on the way.  
About ten of the flying nasties from Delta's fortress emerged from the  
door, their missiles blazing and scattering the Hunters. Several of us took  
to the air, me poking my arm cannon into one of them and firing many rapid  
shots into it, until its flight systems finally gave out. I hopped away from it  
as it crashed to the ground.  
I watched as Zero leapt to one of them, chopping it in half cleanly with his  
Z-Saber. After landing, he motioned for a small group of Hunters to follow  
him, inside the base, leaving us to deal with the loose ends here. He ducked  
inside, but not before radioing me and wishing me good luck.  
I said likewise, then took to the rest of the units, as did my group, now.  
The aerials were expelled in less than two minutes now that everyone  
started to help. Guiding my group in to follow Zero, I saw that his had already  
encountered another brand of security: Vile, along with a small group of  
drone Reploids, had rounded up a few riding armors; enough to grant us  
considerable damage.  
"Take out the pilots," Zero told our group, just coming in. "The armors  
can work to our advantage, after Vile and his goons are gone."  
I nodded. Charging up a blast, I headed for one of the armors before one  
of the drones could board it. After I was sure I wouldn't hit any of ours with  
the shot, I let fly, pegging the pilot directly in the head. Yeowch.  
Dashing to the riding armor, I climbed into its seat, which I found  
cushioned and inviting. Taking the control sticks, I guided the armor over to  
another group of riding armors, controlled by Maverick drones. Swinging the  
titanium-coated fists a few times, I banged them up pretty badly, using the  
rockets to escape attacks from the others. After wrecking them pretty  
badly, I felt the Hunters could do the rest. They flocked over to the  
mechanical armors and began beating on them with their cannons, and kicking  
at the drone pilots.  
I had been watching as Zero stood in the middle of a large circle of the  
enemy vehicles, trying to take them all out with his saber. When that didn't  
work, I charged in, landing on one mech and crushing it in seconds. The  
others I punched a few times, then let Zero take them out.   
Giving him a peace sign, I watched as he returned the gesture and finally  
hopped up to Vile's cockpit. The Reploid clone knew he was gone, but still  
turned in vain to fire a few of his signature paralysis shots at Zero. He  
dodged easily, walking up behind the Maverick's head and slashing him directly  
in half.  
"Ooooh...." I said. "What a way to go."  
Zero kicked the scrapped Vile out of the seat, swinging the controls  
around a bit to see how the armor still ran. When he found it was  
satisfactory, he nodded and called to me. "How are our groups, X?"  
I spoke clearly, walking the armor up next to his. "As far as I know, we  
only lost one guy: Lujon, and that was on the way in."  
"And the riding armors?"  
"Most of them were destroyed, or at least damaged enough to where they  
won't run anymore. Only two other mechs survived."  
"Who's driving those?"  
"Hybric and Khizarr," I said, waving for their attention across the room.  
"Have them meet up with us and come over this way. There are two ways  
to go here," he said, gesturing towards a fork in the corridors beyond this  
room. "We'll send the Hunters that're on foot one way, and we'll travel the  
other."  
"Fair enough," I said as I beckoned Hybric and Khizarr. "Guys, over here  
with me and Zero. Time for the groups to split up."  
  
* * *  
  
Zero, Hybric, Khizarr, and I journeyed into the higher-security part of  
Epsilon's fortress, finding about 45 drones, 15 Wily-Bots, and almost 20  
older Mavericks. With the mechs, we went through them easily, gaining entry  
to yet another compartment, filled half-way with lava.  
Dash-jumping with the mechs off the platform, we took a good leap out of  
the seats and onto the platform on the opposite side.  
Heading further into the depths, we found the X-Hunters: Serges, Agile,  
and Violen. Stationed deeper inside the fortress, they were relatively easy  
to take out. Their cheap Reploid clones were nothing compared to the real  
thing.  
Then, as we continued traveling, through the heavy darkness, we saw  
something. Two bright red eyes, nestled firmly in the shadow, stared right  
at us. From between the eyes, we heard a low growl, then a long plume of  
fire shot from its mouth.  
"Dragon?" I asked Zero.  
He smiled nostalgically. "I know that growl. No, that's no dragon. It's  
Dragoon. Magma Dragoon." 


	12. Dragoon

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Zero  
  
I stared into the darkness, half my expression surprise, half anger.   
Sigma's cronies had done it--they'd brought Magma Dragoon back from the  
dead. A cheap Reploid clone, I reminded myself. That's all he is. Don't let  
appearances be so deceiving.  
I activated my saber. We had to take him now.  
Stepping further out of the darkness, his blue and red face was immersed  
in light, letting every frowning scale show. Walking slowly up to him, I  
swished my saber around in front of me. "Never thought I'd speak to you  
again, old codger."  
He spoke back. Yet another surprise. "Zero, it's been...far too long.   
There is a chance for you to still reconsider, you know. Haven't you felt the  
virus part of you calling to you? The master is calling you back, my friend."  
My eyes turned from astonished to an angry glare in an instant. Swiping  
my saber down and to the left quickly, I followed through. With a sudden,  
unexplainable flash, my saber went through its target and returned to its  
original position. Dragoon's right hand fell off with a spark.  
"Does that give you any implication of my stand on Mavericks?" I asked  
him, sending the saber spinning back towards the scabbard for a brief  
moment and closing my eyes.  
He rolled his eyes. "You never were very sensible about anything, Zero."  
I opened my eyes, glared at him. "Need I take the other hand as well?" I  
asked.  
He roared in anger, throwing back his head and blowing a streak of fire at  
me. I dodged, coming up behind him with a high roundhouse kick to the head.   
He fell to the ground, where I buried my saber in his back and raked it up  
through his head.  
"That'll leave a mark," Hybric winced, averting his eyes.  
From the darkness beyond us came a rasping voice, growling out a string  
of words: "Very good, Hunters. You've played right into my parlor, and now,  
it's your chance to take me on."  
Two yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. I saw a sparkle of something,  
then clusters of lights, held in metal frames from the roof, lit up the scene.   
It was Epsilon, of course. The sparkling I saw were the disks, held in his left  
hand. With a grand gesture, he whirled around, throwing the package high  
into the chamber, whereit hung in a pale blue field.  
My eyes turned back to Epsilon himself. He was somewhat wiry, but no  
doubt fast. He was adorned with a set of gold and royal blue robes, which fell  
from his shoulders past his feet. In his hand was held a tri-blade cutter, an  
old weapon, signature to an antique Wily-Bot named Tengu Man. It was held in  
the palm of the hand, and when squeezed, would open to form three very  
strong, very sharp green blades: one pointing forward, and one on either  
side.  
"So this is Epsilon, Sigma's final guardian," X said from behind me.  
"Are you surprised to find a Reploid as small as I to be the lord's second-  
in-command?"  
"Not really," X said back. "Just finally glad we've found you."  
"I have a feeling that in less than five minutes, you will all be equally sorry  
you've found me," he said with bitterness in his voice. "Prepare to meet your  
doom!"  
He threw off the robes, plucking an energy shield from a nearby control  
panel. He held in in his free hand. X, Hybric, Khizarr and I braced ourselves.   
Though he looked wimpy, with Sigma we knew appearances could definitely  
deceive the mind. "Good luck," I growled. "You're gonna need it." 


	13. Z-Saber vs. Tengu Blade

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
X  
  
My gaze flitted from Zero's eyes to Epsilon's. They were staring  
each other down intently. Epsilon squeezed his fist, and the three green  
blades revealed themselves from his weapon. Zero's eyes narrowed. In one  
fluid motion, he moved his arm back to his saber, grabbed it, pointed it at  
Epsilon, and ignited the blade. "You're goin' down," he growled.  
Epsilon looked back at him with a wry smile. "Uh-huh," he mocked. "I  
may be goin' down, but you're going six feet under."  
Zero rushed forward and slashed heavily at Epsilon. My earlier fears  
were realized. Epsilon jumped at the first sign of Zero's movement and  
avoided his attack, landing behind him. Good reaction time, I thought. Sigma  
put him through some heavy training, I'd wager.  
I narrowed my own eyes, starting a charge of plasma from my  
cannon just in case. Zero waved me off as he heard the whine start. He  
wanted Epsilon. I nodded, saying nothing.  
Doing a backwards flip high into the chamber, Zero came down next to  
Epsilon, slicing horizontally, then vertically. He moved a speed I'd never seen  
before. Whatever extra training he got before the mission briefing must've  
really paid off. Epsilon, while fast, couldn't completely escape the double-  
slash, coming away with a hacked arm. Not his blade arm, unfortunately, or  
the fight might as well have been over. He was going to have some trouble  
holding up that energy shield, though...  
Zero slashed again, waiting only a fraction of a second before  
flipping over Ep's shoulder and raking his saber over it. Sticking his cannon  
into Epsilon's back, he pounded him with a half-charged shot, sending the  
beat-up Maverick skidding to the floor face-first, where he ground up sparks  
from the metal, finally coming to a stop.  
Picking Epsilon up from the floor, Zero slammed him down again, this  
time onto his back. The Maverick's neck went limp and his head slammed  
back into the metal once again. He swore in pain. I couldn't say I blamed him.   
The guy was in sad shape.  
"Listen up, Epsilon, and listen good. You got two options here. A:  
you can give me the force-field generator, and I'll just not completely slice  
you up; or B: you can deny having the generator controller, try and fight me  
some more, and end up dead. Your choice."  
He gave Zero a frozen glare. Reaching for a small control unit on his  
belt, he handed it to Zero reluctantly. "Take it," he wheezed. "Just don't  
torture me anymore."  
Zero "hmphed", taking the device from the Maverick's shivering  
hand. Clipping it to his own belt for safe keeping, he then wished Epsilon  
sweet dreams and slammed his head back onto the floor. "Out like a light."  
Hopping up to where the field hung in the air, he tapped a button on  
the control's surface, and the blue sphere quickly disappeared. Swiping a  
hand out, he took the disks and slapped them onto his belt. Coming down to  
rest near the middle of the room, he turned back to us, giving us a thumbs-  
up, then stuck his Z-Saber in the floor. "Mission accomplished," he said with  
a wink. "Let's get back, see if X's theory about the disks was right."  
I saw Epsilon's form rising up vaguely from behind Zero. Flipping  
open his cutter, he dashed noiselessly towards my friend, who still had his  
back turned.  
My eyes widened. I yelled at Zero, nothing elaborate. When he said,  
"What?", he reached a hand down to grab his saber, swishing it backwards--  
and directly into Epsilon's path, slashing his legs out from under him. The  
Maverick still tried to make one final cut at Zero with the cutter blade before  
falling, but out of reflex I fired my cannon, still holding the charged shot I had  
made earlier. He fell to the floor without a sound.  
"Down and out," I said. "Is he still alive?"  
Zero bent down and plugged an Infolink cable in. Reading the stats,  
he nodded. "Yeah, only barely. He's worse than you were, X. He needs the  
medbay. We have to get him back, now."  
We radioed the other Hunters, telling them that the mission had  
gone off without a hitch. Gathering up the ravaged Maverick, we teleported  
back home, back to headquarters. 


	14. Sigma in My Sights

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Zero  
  
Once we returned from Epsilon's, X and I traveled personally to the  
data scanning sector to check if X's theory about the archives could be right.   
When the three disks were run through the computer, X gave a triumphant  
nod. There were absolutely no contents on the disks.  
"The only question now is how to find the tenth disk."  
"Shouldn't be a problem," I said. "Sigs' goons're all defeated now.   
He'll come out of hiding soon. Wherever he comes from has go tto be the  
holding place for the last disk."  
"Right on, Zero," nodded Crysto.  
"So how long do you think it'll take him to attack?" Iris asked.  
X answered. "I think he'll pop in up in about an hour or so, maybe  
less. We'll have to stay on our toes. Right now, whatever body he's had  
made for himself has got to be going through last-minute tests and spec  
checks."  
"That seems reasonable," I said, nodding. "Tell everyone to be on  
guard. I want Hunter Headquarters on Code Yellow status. Be ready to jump  
at the slightest hint of Maverick activity."  
"Will do, Zero."  
I drew X aside, walking out into the corridor. "Now, I'll ask you this  
personally, because I don't want everyone to go off fighting with no  
confirmation that Sigs is there...but while he was in your head, were you able  
to pry for any kind of location, any special dates, names?"  
He smiled. "A step ahead of you, Zero. Unfortunately, the only thing  
I can give you is this: you know the lake in the Grynchon mountain valley?"  
I nodded. "Been there a few times before."  
"In that lake, there's something that Sigma was constantly thinking  
about. I can't say what exactly, but it's worth a check."  
I squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks, X. Have people waiting here to  
back me up in case I need it. Go to Code Blue if I call you."  
"Sure thing, buddy," he said, walking off, instantly finding someone  
to talk to.  
With a smile, a nod, and a shut of my eyes, I changed to a streak of  
orange light and flew out of the building, to the Grynchon valley lake.  
  
  
* * *  
I smelled the fresh, thin air. I was high in the summit of the  
Grynchon mountains, a few miles well away from the traffic and bustle of  
Jolozt. I loved this place. If I hadn't had the mission and the stakeout here,  
I'd've just sat and bonded with nature a bit.  
Unfortunately, until Sigma was gone, there'd be no relaxing. I did,  
however, lay down on a slab overhanging the lake to get a better view, and to  
relax as best I could without falling asleep. Sigma can't take nature's beauty  
away from me, I thought as I watched the sunlight reflecting on the lake.  
For an hour and a half, at least, I sat and watched. When I was  
convinced X must have been wrong about this place, I began concentrating to  
begin a teleport away. My body was phasing into the orange light when my  
concentration was broken suddenly. I opened my eyes. What was that?   
Rising from the lake, there was a small outpost, not much bigger around than  
a small jet plane, yet crowded with wires and antennae.  
Bingo, I thought. "HQ, this is Zero," I radioed quickly. "I have visual  
confirmation of Sigma's hidden outpost. I'll continue to monitor events as  
they happen. Just get some backup out this way, will ya? X knows where I  
am."  
Crysto's voice broke over the static. "Hang in, Zero. We'll be there  
soon."  
"Out," I replied, then turned my eyes back onto the building that had  
risen from the water. A door opened vertically from the side of the building  
opposite me. Thrown out of it came a man with wild white hair sticking from  
the sides of his head, white bushy eyebrows, and wearing a white lab coat.   
Following the flung man was Sigma, in a bright, shiny new body. Whoever had  
built it was an absolute genius of warfare. Swiveling lasers were mounted,  
one on each shoulder, his eyes were equipped with his customary laser  
systems, and he held an energy saber as well. From the leanness of the  
body, it looked as if he could be extremely fast as well.  
As the Maverick completely emerged from the portal, He walked to  
where the old man now lay, flinging him face-first over to the bank of the  
lake. The little man found his footing after a second, stood up, and shook his  
fist in Sigs' face angrily.  
Even from here, I could see who the old guy was. It was Dr. Wily, the  
scientist who had created so much trouble for the original Mega Man a  
hundred years ago. He created evil robots to do his bidding in droves of  
eight. Each time, Mega Man foiled his plans. But how did Sigs bring him here?  
Must have a time machine somewhere, I thought. Wily died decades ago  
of natural causes. I flashed out of thinking and looked back at him again.   
Sigs and Wily were exchanging some angry words with each other, and Sigma  
took confident steps toward the old scientist. Wily kept creeping backwards,  
and held a fixed look of nervous fear on his face. As Sigma's eyes suddenly  
began to give off a red glow and an abundance of matching red energy, I  
realized what his intentions were.  
Crap! If he kills Wily, history could be altered! Mega Man would have  
no purpose! Whatever the alteration did to the space-time continuum would  
be irreversible, potentially fatal to all of us, no matter how much damage  
Sigs ended up doing.  
As I saw him finally drawing a bead on Wily with his eye beams, I  
gasped. Glancing around quickly for troops, I saw that the dropships weren't  
even close yet. I swore. "Can't wait for backup," I muttered. "I have to do  
something about this on my own."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Sigma  
  
I was about to terminate my loose end, Dr. Wily, my eye beams  
centered on his pitiful, shaking form. He had no spaceships or any of his  
primitive robot men to help him now. Face-to-face, he was just as pathetic  
as any other human being.  
With a kind of sixth sense, I felt a minute rushing of wind from my  
immediate left. I turned quickly out of instinct to meet whatever was  
attacking me, but was struck in the cheek with a foot. The attacker landed,  
hopping over to assist Wily. As I glanced back up, I recognized my assailant  
as Zero, one of the prominent Maverick Hunters, and one of my men in the  
past. Unfortuantely, my eye beams had been wasted on a cliff face a few  
hundred yards away. I addressed my Hunter friend: "Why have you gotten  
yourself involved with this again, Zero?" I asked. "You're only delaying the  
inevitable."  
He smirked, kneeling to talk with the shaken doctor. "Wily, you  
okay?"  
The doctor, first surprised at how Zero knew his name, gaped, then  
gasped as looked into his eyes. Zero looked back at Wily with the same  
curious stare. I was sure this action conveyed some importance, but it was  
none of my concern at this time. The old man tried to speak, but could find  
nothing intelligent to say. "You're- you're--"  
"Cut the chat," Zero snapped. "I'm not helping you `cause I like you.   
Just get outta here."  
He gave the man a short head-start by pikcing him up by the  
trousers and tossing him a few feet. The old man then scrambled to his feet  
and ran out of my vision. Zero put a hand to his head, as if gathering his  
thoughts, then rose again and met eyes with me.  
"Zero, why must you further complicate things?" I asked. "I was  
merely getting rid of unneeded garbage."  
"And you would've bent time by causing his death," he said. "Wily  
died of natural causes, not by your hand. The time-space continuum would've  
been needlessly jarred by the event, and neither of us might be standing here  
now."  
I paused, considering. "Perhaps you're correct. However, I still  
must destroy you for intruding, you know. I cannot allow anyone who knows  
of this location to live."  
He snickered. "All the Hunters already know," he said. "I radioed  
them not five minutes ago with my location. They'll be here in five, ten  
minutes tops."  
I shook my head at him. "Zero, Zero, Zero... Never can leave  
anything simple for me, can you?"  
"Never, Sigs."  
"So it's come down to yet another showdown?" I asked.  
"It would appear so," he said. "I've defeated you when you were in X's  
body, Sigma. I can do it while you're in this one."  
"I hope, for your sake, that you are right, Zero. I shall tell X and Iris  
both goodbye for you." 


	15. A Fight with the Virus

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Fifteen   
  
Zero  
  
What was that? I asked myself. When Wily looked at me like  
that...something felt...weird... Right now, though, it didn't matter. Sigma had  
a bone to pick with me.  
I narrowed my eyes. "You possess my friend, almost change history  
and get us all killed, and then you expect me to want to go Maverick again?   
Again I bring to your attention your recklessness as a virus, Sigma. But if  
you really expect me to come over to your side ever again, you're bent!"  
"Your life will eventually be the factor that changes this war, Zero,"  
he snarled.  
I smiled. "But if I can extinguish yours, mine won't matter," I said. I  
tapped a hidden button on my Z-Saber to ignite it. Hearing it hum, I raised it  
up, level with my nose. "Mark my words, Sigma, I'll see the end of you," I said  
as the saber's dim glow reflected off my eyes. Fixing my gaze again on him, I  
pointed the saber in his direction. Glancing ever so slightly left, I saw no  
guards at the entrance of his hiding place. I'd chance it.  
I buried my right foot in the dust as I took a fighting position. I held  
my saber loosely as I jabbed it forward to attack, but veered to the left  
quickly, using my foot to kick sand in Sig's eyes.  
As he growled and cursed, I dashed as fast as I could to the  
fortress. Double jumping to hop in the door, I rolled into a tight ball to absorb  
the impact easier. I rose to a crouch and took a sweep around. Nothing. No  
security cameras, no droids, no nothing!  
"Well, this is just strange," I whispered. Thinking twice, I ran back  
and bolted the door. Sigma's fist made quite an impression on the metal  
alloy. It'd take him five, ten minutes tops to get through. That was plenty  
of time to get a few errands run.  
  
  
* * *  
  
X   
  
I smiled as I saw the crisp uniforms our three newest Maverick  
Hunters had chosen. Iris dressed in red and blue. She wore a helmet, but let  
a ponytail hang out the back. Her armor was modeled after Zero's, only  
blockier, and her gloves were laced with gold trim. She kept a light blue cape  
and black boots, and sported blasters embedded in her palms. On her left  
breast, there was, laser-monogrammed, the Greek letter Pi, in recognition of  
her past with Sigma.  
Roll chose purple and gold for her outfit, with an energy saber as her  
primary weapon. Without a blaster or any other weapon, however, she'd have  
to rely on her hands and feet to take out baddies, a fact which, when asked,  
she seemed confident and fairly happy about. Like Iris's letter, Delta was  
there, emblazoned on Roll's chest.  
Enker, formerly Epsilon, wore a traditional arm cannon on one arm,  
and held his Tengu blade in the opposite hand. Green and blue seemed to hold  
his fancy, as did his long, flowing black cape. His spindly legs led to two  
greenish-blue boots, and Epsilon was printed on his right cheek in dark blue.  
They'd chosen well in the style department, I'd give them. In weapon  
choices, I'd give them nothing less than ten out of ten, either. Every weapon  
they'd picked, even the Tengu blade, was supremely efficient and deadly. If  
there were any mistakes to be made, or anything to screw up, it'd have to be  
something other than the weapons. They were too good to blame.   
Additionally, all of them had a mid-air dash attachment installed in their leg  
jets, and they'd taken some time to train with it.  
Changing my subject of thought, I fixed my gaze ahead, to our  
destination. Sigma's fortress hung in the distance, in the Grynchon valley  
lake. I shouted excitedly to the pilot to punch the throttle. After feeling the  
ship lurch forward faster, I sat down again and made polite conversation with  
the others as I thought about our newest Hunters. Sure, they can fight, but  
I'm worried about what could happen to them on the battlefield. Reploids  
that have been Mavericks recently are easier for Sigma to infect and  
possess, if he chooses. I'll keep a sharp eye on them, I thought, especially  
Iris. There's a warrior right now waiting for his girl, and it wouldn't do any  
good for him to have two Irises die on him in such a short time.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero   
  
I'd hacked into the main computer in the fortress and gotten the  
location of the disk I was looking for. It was in an extraction chamber (big  
surprise there).  
I heard the door being ripped off its hinges, and decided what to do  
quickly. Pulling open the air vent above my head, I hopped inside and quietly  
shut it behind me. Sigma burst into the room about two seconds later.   
Activating my saber, I used it to light the way before me. I had to stay  
absolutely quiet; noise carried easily through the shafts.  
What I had managed to download from the computer in the last room  
to my arm's mini-computer, I used as my map. I followed the disk's signal as  
best I could. Left, left, right, left. So many turns I lost count. Eventually,  
though, I ended up very close to the blip. Checking out the nearest vent, I  
saw the room I was looking for. Deactivating the saber, I kicked open the  
vent and landed almost silently on the chamber's floor.  
I looked up to the direction I thought the extractor was in, but saw  
only a red gloved hand. My curse was muffled as the palm closed around my  
head and lifted me into the air. I kicked and struggled, but Sigma held firm.  
"I thought you'd be here," he said as he used his other hand to reach  
around my throat.  
"Lucky guess," I rasped as he tightened his hand. "So it ends for me  
here, Sigma?"  
He smiled as he dropped me to the floor. "It ends here, but not this  
way."  
"You're toying with me, being sporting," I coughed as I rubbed where  
his hand has grasped my neck. "It's not like you."  
"And you thought I'd just take you out immediately? No, Zero. For  
all the trouble you've managed to give me, your death will be highly glorified  
among Mavericks. I want it to last. I'm surprised you don't know me any  
better."  
I slipped a hand back to where I'd clipped my saber, pulled it free, and  
ignited it. "You should've gotten rid of me when you had the chance, virus!"  
I rushed towards him, saber poised for attack. He held a surprised  
look on his face for a quarter of a second, then donned his evil smirk again.   
His eyes gleamed red. Oh no you don't, I thought. I'm not gonna be  
charbroiled Hunter. I continued running, forming a plan on the way. I hit the  
floor quickly, using my momentum to slide through Sigma's legs and behind  
him. I swung my saber up, hoping to get a hit at Sig's head. Bracing my hand  
so I wouldn't accidentally lose the saber, I followed through, closing my eyes  
for the impact and hit...  
Air.  
"Whoa!" I said, losing my balance and stumbling forward. "Thanks a  
lot, Wily," I muttered.  
"Speed is a wonderful thing," came Sigma's voice. I whirled my head  
around to meet eyes with him. He had drawn his own energy sword, and was  
leaning on the wall, arms folded. "Would you care to try again?"  
I smiled. "I'm surprised you don't know me any better, Sigma." I  
raced again, slicing horizontally this time, trying to rip open his stomach.  
He smiled evilly, side-stepped quickly, and stuck out a foot. Oh ho,  
so that's the way you're gonna play... I began to charge a shot from my  
cannon, then dash jumped over his tripping foot, reversed in the air, and let  
fly with a plasma bolt.  
He stood there for just a moment, before raising a hand, meeting his  
palm with the energy blast, and tossing it back at me twice as fast.   
Fortunately, I'd fallen from my jump faster than he'd calculated, and the shot  
missed.  
Raising from my crouch (after that jump), I gazed into his eyes for  
just a moment, trying to pry open his mind. What was he thinking about?   
Why the growing evil smile on his face? What did he know that I didn't?  
His eyes flashed brown for a moment, and I knew. I fell back, giving  
myself time to catch my breath. Swinging my saber backwards quickly, I  
built power for the blow I was planning to deliver. Suddenly, a flash of light  
and an explosion from behind me told me I'd been careless with my blade.  
I glanced backward, seeing only a holographic projector, now  
damaged beyond repair. Turning my line of sight forward once again, I saw  
the tenth disk, still encased in its protective glass covering, fizzle and  
dissolve.   
"A hologram..." I muttered. "Great."  
Sigma was now smiling more heartily than ever as he talked.   
"Correct, Zero. So perceptive... You'd've thought the lack of security  
would've tipped you off."  
I narrowed my eyes. "So what's left for you, Sigma? There's no  
reason to kill me because there's no significance to this place..."  
"But your body is still healthy," he said with an evil grin. "I could take  
it as I did X's. And there's another added bonus for me: I know you. You were  
a part of me for a while, Zero. I could go for years, maybe even decades,  
before anyone suspected anything. My ties to you, while cut, still have roots  
deep down in there somewhere," he said, pointing to my chest. "And those  
roots run deeper than Pi's, Delta's, or even Epsilon's."  
"It's Iris, Roll, and Enker now," I said as an afterthought.  
"Iris, is it? Thinking of your past love, my friend? Wistful of wars  
past, wars lost?"  
"Not of wars past, Sigma. Of feelings past, of loved ones lost." I  
raised my head. "Why am I telling you this? You wouldn't understand."  
"Iris was a part of me too, Zero," he said quietly now. "I can feel  
what you did for her. You can be with her again, the real Iris...if you become  
part of me again."  
My ears perked. He wasn't saying what I thought... Was he?  
"She longs for you, every waking moment she has in my personality,  
I swear. All you have to do to be with her again is to submit."  
I lowered my head so he couldn't see my face. A single tear spurted  
from my left eye.  
I growled, raising my head. "Not happening. Suicide'd be more  
favorable than that."  
He lost the quiet voice and went back to his familiar boastful,  
arrogant, and booming voice. He nearly deafened me: "Well, I can keep that  
body of yours intact, consenting or no," he yelled angrily as he began to walk  
towards me.  
I concentrated and hopped back an inch or two, trying to activate  
my self destruct command. I couldn't let Sigma get me, too... Couldn't go  
back...  
Then the world faded away. 


	16. Sigma...a Friend?

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
X  
  
The dropship set ground finally, and I practically leaped out the door.   
Everything was just as Zero had said: a little pod of a fortress poking out of  
the lake, and the main entrance open. When I looked closer, I realized it had  
been forced open. Had there been a fight already? My low-frequency neural  
net gave me two signals from inside. If there had been a fight, it hadn't  
resulted in a death.  
I started moving towards the blips, not knowing what to think. Roll,  
Iris, and Enker trailed closely behind me. I thought better of their coming  
immediately. Ordering the three to stay and guard the atrium, I continued  
my descent into the base. Netrix and Argyle followed me and watched my  
back.  
I suddenly noticed something--no drones. The lack of security was  
extremely worrysome, at least for me. I radioed HQ. Thankfully, there  
wasn't an electromagnetic dispeller in here, or my call would've been for  
naught. "Chakra, do you have the serial number on the tenth disk?"  
"As a matter of fact, yes," he said back. "It's CAP-0734-COM. Any  
reason?"  
"I'm suspicious," was all I said in return. Setting my radar to search  
for a disk with that number, I began to look mentally for it. My search was  
for nothing, as I suspected. The disk wasn't here.  
"Hunters!" I called over an open radio. "This mission has just taken  
an easier turn. Our only existing objectives are to find Zero and destroy  
Sigma. My neural radar sweep has confirmed there is no disk here. Sig's  
keepin' it locked up somewhere else. Heck, there may not even be a tenth  
disk. God, I wanna find Sig's source code one day and type some complete  
$#!& into it..."  
"Copy that, X," came Skyler's voice, with a chuckle.  
"One more thing," I said. "I'm goin' this alone. Get everyone else  
outta here and back to base. Keep one dropship close to here in case Zero  
and I need backup, and give the new Hunters my apologies for not being able  
to test their new toys."  
"Sure thing."  
I made my way back to where I'd left the new recruits to give them  
their new orders, but found no one. Strange...  
"Skyler, are Iris, Roll, and Enker aboard one of the ships?"  
"I'll check, but I didn't see them come out of the place."  
"Thanks, keep your eyes peeled."  
I glimpsed movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning, I saw a  
vent grating swinging slowly and creaking. I frowned, and wiped my hand  
down my face in exasperation. Greeeeat. I was afraid of this... they're going  
for Sigma.   
Using my radio as I made my way towards Zero and Sigma, I opened a  
channel to call the three Hunters. "Guys," I called. "Iris, Enker, Roll, answer  
me, please."  
Iris responded. "What is it, X? We're busy."  
I heaved a sigh. "You guys, listen up. I've got no problem with you  
guys taking Sigma out. Just hold off until Zero and I get in a few shots at  
him, will ya?"  
If the three could've smiled over the radio, they would've. "I hear  
you, X," came Enker's voice. "Go ahead. We'll stay behind for a while."  
"Thanks for not making this mission any more of a headache than it  
already is," I said back. "I'll see you later."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero   
  
I looked around. The world around me had shifted and warped itself.   
I heaved a sigh. Sigma had done this. This must have been the state X had  
found himself in when Sigma had blacked him out those times. I donned a  
steely glare and continued looking around. "Come out wherever you are,  
Sigma!" I called. "If you're gonna draw me into a world with your rules, at  
least show yourself!"  
A pair of glinting blue eyes opened from the shadows and swooped  
down to the floor, where their owner, the one Maverick that had caused so  
much destruction and killed so many innocents revealed himself to me finally.   
"You know where you are?" he asked in a quiet bellow.  
I nodded, narrowing my eyes. "This is where you talked to X before.   
It has to be."  
"Correct. Have you thought about why you are here?"  
"I've only been conscious a few seconds," I said, "but I can guess  
why."  
"And...?"  
"You want to infest me."  
"Correct again. X is approaching the room where we are. Can you  
hear him?"  
I strained my ears to listen. Sure enough, the familiar tpp, tpp of  
X's boots echoed into even this place.  
"Yeah," I said. "So how and where exactly does this place exist?"  
"This is a place in your mind, Zero. I am here for now only as a  
spectator in what is to come. Your thoughts are still racing about, and you  
are still unconscious in the real world. For now, time is at a virtual stand-  
still. This conversation between you and I is occurring in thousandths of a  
second."  
"So I'm here to be infested?"  
"You were here to be infested, my friend, but luckily for you, your  
roots of sigmae mavericus have shrunk too deep for me to replant. If I were  
to infest you, your will would oppose mine too greatly. Without total control,  
your mind and body are useless to me. Be thankful for that, I would say.   
Some time in the future, those roots may regrow somehow, but for now..."  
"For now, I'm safe."  
He nodded, throwing his head down in defeat. With a heavy sigh, he  
sat down. "Even this magnificent body will not last forever," he said, staring  
at his hands. "I pushed Wily to finish it as quickly as possible. He had to  
meet only the most pressing demands on the armor's workload to complete  
it in time. He had to make a weakness for it."  
I raised an eyebrow. "What went wrong?"  
He looked up at me. "The energy supply is very limited. Every ounce  
of power will be drained from this body in no more than an hour."  
"I can see where that would be logical," I said. "If you cut Wily's work  
short, he couldn't make the final adjustments on the distributors. With the  
lasers on the shoulders, the eye lasers, and the energy release function on  
your saber, it'd sap energy worse than leaving a car's headlights on. That's  
the flaw to your suit there, Sigs."  
He looked indifferent. Glancing down again, he began to mutter  
aloud. "I never understood, because of my programming... I never  
understood why I was never able to think logically... My thoughts are always  
garbled, and all my thinking can never add up. You remember the thing with  
Wily back there, and then me forcing him into finishing... This suit will never  
hold up for that long. I am doomed to go through yet another period of  
dormancy. My subjects will once again lose all ties to me, and you and X will  
be able to take out this body no problem. I despise losing."  
There was a long pause. Both of us seemed to be looking for  
something else to talk about. Why, though, was he keeping me, of all people,  
here to talk to? A good question. I spoke up. "Were you telling the truth  
when you said that Iris still talked about me? About what we had together?"  
He smiled, not evilly. I frowned puzzledly, but sat down next to him.   
"I was telling the truth. She pines over you, truly. When another being is a  
part of you for so long, you begin to feel effects of their emotions, and are  
able to take apart their thoughts, eventually."  
I paused before saying anything else, thinking. "Could you tell her  
something for me, Sigma?" I asked.  
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "What is it?"  
"Just tell her she meant a lot to me, and that I think of her  
everyday."  
Sigma closed his eyes for a split second, then opened them and said,  
"She said to say she feels exactly the same way, Zero. She loves you."  
I lowered my head now, fighting back the tears.   
"In pain now, Zero?"  
"Just remembering what happy times we had. It didn't matter to us  
how few there actually were. Amidst the war going on around us, the  
humans' uneasiness towards us, there wasn't a lot of time for love, or  
anything much more than fighting."  
He nodded. "And for the first time, I feel as if I should take blame  
for that." I felt a surprised look creep onto my face. "I'm sorry, Zero. Sorry  
for all the pain I've caused you, and sorry that I was created the way I was."  
I just stared at him a few seconds, trying to discern exactly what  
he'd just said. The being, the virus that had caused so much trouble for  
Reploids and humans alike, had just related to me an apology. I smiled  
instinctively. "I knew you had in it you." He looked up at me curiously. "Ever  
since I'd been a part of you, I knew there was a slice of your being that has  
wanted to say that for so long."  
He smiled, chuckled. Again, not evilly. I kept that smile on my face,  
baffled as to what had finally brought this out of him. His shortness with  
Wily? His possession of X? His realization of his only weapon's short life-  
span? God only knew. Nevertheless, for one moment in this war, we, the  
bitterest enemies opposite each other, had called a truce.  
  
  
* * *  
  
X  
  
I crept along the corridor leading to the room where my friend and  
Sigma were fighting (I had found out that it was a software extraction  
chamber, actually). Keeping in touch with the three rogue Hunters in the  
vents, I continued to give them kind reminders about not busting in and just  
finishing Sigma immediately. I didn't mention why I requested this, but they  
agreed nonetheless.   
Finally outside the main portal to the chamber, I checked back in  
with Iris and company one last time: "Guys, you close?"  
Enker's voice projected itself: "Yeah. I can see Sigma now. He's  
leanin' up against the wall furthest the vent. Zero's unconscious, I guess,  
and he's layin' on the opposite side of the room."  
"I suppose Sigs figures a live worm attracts more fish than a dead  
one," I muttered. "Listen, I'm taking this nice and easy. You guys got that?"  
"For the freakin' 97th time, YES!" Roll said back.  
I chuckled. "Sorry `bout that, Roll. You know if it were in both our  
best interests for you to have every hit on Sigma, I'd give him to you."  
"So why are you holding us back, X?" Iris asked. "I've been  
contemplating that ever since you got us to hold off."  
Well, the truth had to come out some time. "I just wanna get in a  
few hits first. I'm entitled to that for being possessed by big, bad virus  
here, I think." Now was not the time. If they knew I was keeping them back  
to keep them from going re-Maverick on me, they'd get headstrong and I  
couldn't talk any sense into them. If I had to predict anyone going down first  
in a fight, it'd probably be Iris. I can't let that happen. For Zero's sake, and  
for the sake of anyone that depended on the Hunters, I'd have to keep them  
away for now.  
"Alright, I'm opening the door," I said as I touched the door control  
pad on the frame. The backlight flashed from blue to green, then glowed a  
gentle yellow. The door split in half and slid open almost noiselessly, and I  
prepared myself. I had no idea what kind of state Sigma or Zero could be in.   
Go strictly by the books on this one, X, I told myself. Nice, easy stealth.   
Keep yourself invisible until something happens.  
Sigma appeared lost in thought, leaning, as Enker had said, against  
the far wall. I spotted a sliver of Iris's armor in the vent grating, and gave  
her a thumbs-up. "M'in," I said softly to them. "Now let's just wait to see  
what Sigma'll have to say when he wakes up."  
Iris smiled, winked, and returned the thumbs-up, saying nothing. I  
took a walk to the center of the chamber, where sat an extraction device. In  
its core was a glass case, empty. "Where Sigs had the disk, I suspect. Or at  
least what he used as a fake disk." I glanced around. Either they'd been  
playing with each other, or neither of them got in a lot of good hits. I saw no  
signs of struggle around the chamber, no burn marks, no sliced-open walls,  
no nothing. After thinking that "no nothing," however, my eyes came to rest  
on a no-doubt Z-saber-sliced holographic projector. Walking over to it and  
checking out its most recent image, I knew what the virus had used for the  
phony disk. A hologram? Equally smart and risky for him, I thought. If I'd  
gotten here first, he'd've been screwed because of my radar, but to the  
naked eye, it's as real as any other of the disks we've collected. He was  
counting on Zero or anyone else to get here first. Good thing for him he was  
right, or we could've finished this a lot sooner.  
I stopped thinking for a sec and waved to the vent for the three  
others to come on in. There was something mysterious about this whole  
thing. For some reason, though, I felt as if Sigma was being lenient on us.   
As we started to sweep the chamber, I kept a sharp eye on both the  
fighters, making sure neither of them woke up with Sigma's persona about  
him.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero  
  
I could hear X enter the room from beyond my thoughts. Sigma  
noticed it, but said nothing. "As long as I stay with you here, my armor's  
activities are suspended, as will be the energy drain."  
"Do you plan to keep me here forever?" I said. "Or have you  
decided?"  
"I want to keep you here," he said, "but at the same time, my staying  
here would get nothing accomplished. I can't leave without you leaving, and  
vice-versa. I am debating with myself at this point."  
I stood up. "If you do have anything inside of you beyond your viral  
programming, Sigma, and I know you do, in the form of your AI brain; then  
you can make this decision for yourself. You can start right here, right now,  
trying your best to break through your code. If you can do that, you won't  
have to be a slave to your viral tendencies anymore. Whoever created you  
originally put you in a Reploid body, I know. From that body, you gained a  
sense of power, but also gained something else your maker hadn't counted  
on: the ability to think for yourself. Until now, the code has kept that, and  
any, logical thinking under control. You can fight it, Sigma. I can help you."  
He looked up, question all but screaming from his expression.   
Standing up, his body held up at least two heads higher than mine. As bitter  
and evil as I had felt to this being before, as threatened--it had fled from me  
now. Now, he was simply a larger version of any other Reploid. I was  
doubtful of what he would choose, and how and why he would choose, but I  
kept an expecting look in my eyes, waiting for his answer.  
Throwing his head skyward, a chuckle escaped his mouth. "Never  
thought I'd be in this position, getting help from one of--of you."  
I nodded. "I feel strange about this, too, Sigma. Somehow, though, I  
can feel that you're being sincere about this. Will you let me help you  
destroy the virus within you?"  
He sank down to the floor again, needing its stability to think, I  
suppose. "A trillion calculations are running through my head, Zero. A trillion  
thoughts, and a trillion things to say. I need only jar us from this...this vision  
to easily destroy you, and more likely, your friends as well. With both you  
and X gone, the others could hardly pose a threat to me. On the other hand,  
however, I could ask for your help, admit that I've done wrong yet again, and  
try to find my maker, to get him to rearrange my code."  
I bent my head down, trying to see his expression. To no avail,  
unfortunately. His face was blackened by the shadows in this room.   
"Needless to say, this decision will be somewhat nerve-racking for  
both of us, no matter which way it turns out."  
I nodded, saying nothing.  
He sighed. "What have I to lose? If you are still willing to help me,  
Zero, I accept your offer."  
He stood up and offered a hand to me. I pinched myself, just in  
case I had been dreaming this whole thing. After finding I was very much  
awake, I extended my hand with a smile to his and took it firmly.  
"This opens up an entirely new chapter in the little story of this  
war," he said.  
"You always were the poetic one," I said as I shook his hand. "Just  
get us out of here so I can explain all this to X, if I can."  
"Done," he said as he retracted his hand and snapped his fingers.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Swirling around, the world slowly reverted back to the chamber  
where we'd fought not minutes before. I picked myself up from where I'd  
passed out when Sigma had tapped my mind, and waved X off as he came  
over to help me up.   
"Are you hurt, Zero?" he asked as he backed away.   
"I'm just great," I said. "And I think we've made a new friend."  
"What do you mean, Zero?"  
"I'll explain in a minute," I replied, noticing Iris and the others in the  
corner. "`Scuse me," I said, walking over to her.  
Throwing my arms around her, I spoke softly into her ear: "Hey,  
you. What're you all doing here?"  
She chuckled silently, whispering back: "We're your newest  
teammates, silly. After Dr. Cain checked with each of us, he found out we all  
wanted basically the same thing after a rest period: we wanted to fight  
again."  
"And he sent you here?" I asked, surprised.  
"Why wouldn't he?" she said louder, pulling away and looking in my  
eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me?"  
"X?" I asked. "Didn't you tell them?"  
"Tell us what?" Enker asked.  
X shook his head, rubbed a hand exasperatedly down his face. "I  
was gonna have to tell you sooner or later, guys. I really didn't want you  
coming along, but I can't go against Cain."  
"Why didn't you want us to come?" Roll asked.  
He gave a sidelong stare at me, pained. "I was just afraid that if I  
told you why earlier, you'd've gotten unreceptive. You wouldn't listened to a  
thing I or Zero said."  
"So what is it?" asked Roll again.  
"We wanted to keep you three out of this because Sigma can  
possess recently Maverick Reploids much easier than he can Zero or I," he  
blurted.  
The three looked around at each other, taking this in.  
"Besides that," I said, "we didn't want you rushing into any fighting  
with Sigs here," I gestured to his still-unmoving form. I began to think there  
was something wrong, but restrained myself. Thoughts right now were too  
optimistic to spoil.  
"Any of you could've very easily killed yourselves going up against  
Sigma. Zero was worried about Iris, of course, and everyone else about you  
other two. We couldn't run the risk of any of you going back to Sigs again or  
falling to him."  
"I'm just loathing Sigma for what he did to us all," Enker said. "I feel  
as if I'm obligated to help destroy him."  
I closed my eyes. "I know," I said with a smile. "I felt that way, too.   
However, I'm glad to tell you about what happened while Sigs and I were out  
over there," I gestured.  
"Yeah, what was with the unconsciousness bit, Zero?" Roll said.   
"You had us worried."  
"Sigma pulled me into that world he pulled X into before he infested  
him."  
Iris interrupted quickly with a gasp. She took hold of my arm,  
dragging me to stand right in front of her. "Let me see your eyes, Zero.   
Stare right into my eyes. Try not to blink." I looked intently at her as she  
had asked, then she breathed a sigh of relief. "He's not Sigma."  
"I knew that," I said, kissing her cheek and giving her a smile.  
"Well, if he didn't infest you, what did he do?" asked X. "This is  
news to me."  
"Strangely, he and I talked. No insults. No threats. No attacking.   
Just discussing this whole thing truthfully and candorously."  
"You got Sigma to carry out an honest conversation with you?"  
Enker asked, his jaw slack.  
I nodded. "I have no idea how, but he just started it, and we  
followed through."  
"And he started the conversation, too?" Roll asked. "Go home and  
bury yourself in a bomb shelter, the end is near!"  
Ignoring her, X spoke: "So what did you find out?"  
"Most of what I already knew--Sigma has logical, AI roots in his  
code, somewhere. He told me he wants to find that part of himself and lose  
his viral properties."  
Everyone gaped. "He...wants us to help him?" Iris finally managed  
to struggle.  
I nodded again. "Just like I said. I couldn't believe it at first,  
either."  
X frowned. "So why's our new buddy not out of his trance yet?" he  
said, gesturing to Sigma's still-limp body.  
Now I was worried. "Good question." Walking over, I checked his  
status CPU on his arm unit. "The body is still operational," I said, "but every  
trace of the ol' guy himself is gone." Noticing a light blinking in a corner of  
the readout, I tapped the CPU to see what was up. From the body's shoulder,  
there slid open with a hiss of air a small panel, and out popped a mini-disk,  
much like the ones we had hunted down from Pi, Delta, and Epsilon. The label  
read, "For X and Zero: Read-only, for your eyes only."  
X walked up behind me, glanced over my shoulder. "Must've just  
burned it while he was sitting there," he muttered. Reaching down to touch  
it, he nodded with certainty. "Yep. Still warm."  
"Uh, X? There's something else," I said, pointing to another flashing  
icon on the CPU's interface. Tapping it, I stepped back as the two shoulder-  
mounted lasers turned to face each other and fired two bolts: one blue, one  
red. Moving around ever quicker, they started to form a picture: Sigma's  
face. His voice boomed from his body's mouth, though it didn't move. The  
mouth of the laser-hologram was in sync with the words he spoke:  
"I'm unbelievably sorry for this, Zero, X," he said. "My persona has  
left this body to another location. I can't tell you where; my code restricts  
it. As logically as I now think, I can, however, tell you where to find the time  
machine to return Wily. There is a secret Maverick outpost elsewhere in  
these mountains, in fact very close. Check in the lake under this base.   
There is an underwater tunnel that leads there."  
X smiled. "I knew that tunnel meant something!"  
The projection continued. "To Pi, Del...uh, Iris, Roll, and Enker, I  
give my utmost apologies, as to all my...my victims." The three exchanged  
uncertain glances, but emerged with smiles. "And now, a final note: you may  
like to leave, now." The face morphed into a clock, and began a countdown  
from five minutes. "I suggest you leave as soon as this recording is finished.   
Anything I've not discussed with you here is contained on that disk, and  
concerns only X and Zero. They may share its contents with the other  
Hunters at their own discretion. Goodbye for now, my friends. I feel we will  
meet again soon." Then the clock faded out, and we were left to run again. 


	17. A Time Machine and an Old Man

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
X  
  
I took Roll's hand, as Zero likewise took Iris's. Charging out of the  
chamber, we used our dash attachments as best we could to keep up with  
one another. At one point, Zero felt Iris was lagging a bit much, so he just  
hefted her into his arms and kept going. I urged Enker to keep up. Skinny  
and fast as he usually was, his dash parts were failing him. Roll finally got  
exasperated enough and picked him up, as Zero had Iris. We all had a good  
laugh at this.  
"Once around the park, James," Enker remarked, surprised.  
"Keep going, guys," urged Zero. "We're in the home stretch."  
I radioed Skyler. "This is X. Hunter X. Do you read?"  
"Copy, X. What's up?"  
"In about five minutes, this fortress," I said. "Get the dropship back to  
base. We'll make it back using teleports."  
"Gotcha covered, X. We're pulling out now," he said as I felt the engines  
rumble.  
"Good work, Skyler. See ya back at base." I cut the comm. "Now, back to  
the race."  
  
* * *  
  
The door loomed before us, only fifteen meters from where we stood.   
"How much time we got, Zero?" Enker asked.  
"I got two minutes."  
"No problemo," I said. "We're there."  
Forty seconds later, we had covered the distance. Zero, Roll and I dash  
jumped in unison over the nearest ridge, planning to use it for cover.  
Zero and Roll both dropped their passengers, Enker stretching his legs,  
and Iris quickly setting Zero up for a kiss.   
"Thanks for the ride," Enker remarked to Roll. "I can now honestly say  
I've had a girl save me from an exploding building."  
"Shut up and kiss me," said Roll, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling  
him to her.  
Zero had just finished his embrace with Iris when he turned to look at his  
mini computer. "Got thirty seconds, peeps. I'd suggest a duck-and-cover  
position."  
He lowered himself to the ground with Iris, moved around in front of her,  
to protect her in case shrapnel flew from the building. Enker took a similar  
position with Roll, keeping her covered. I crouched down, covered my head,  
but didn't duck it down, so I could see the explosion.  
About ten seconds later, I did. Enormous dark blues and greens erupted  
from the fortress's inner core. A half-second later, I shielded my eyes.   
Blinding whiteness flashed out from the depths of the building, and pieces  
and parts flew everywhere, splashing in the lake and falling on the ground  
right beside me. Finally, the whole thing was finished, and we all stood up to  
see the spectacle of destruction. We had no time to lose, enveloping  
ourselves in the familiar light of teleportation.  
  
* * *  
  
"So how deep exactly is this lake?" Argyle asked.  
"We've heard many figures, but we think it's about twenty feet, although  
with the rubble from Sigma's fortress in it, it's probably been raised a few  
inches higher," Zero answered. "Using the base's long-range scanners, we've  
found the tunnel Sigma talked about in his holo-recording. He didn't say  
anything about enemies, but be prepared for drones just in case."  
"Don't we have to find Wily before we actually use this thing?" Skyler  
asked.  
I nodded. "We hadn't forgotten about that part yet. We're sending out  
two teams of five people each--one to round up Wily, and one to get the  
controls on the time machine figured out. Roll, Enker, Argyle, Netrix and I'll  
hunt for Wily while Zero, Iris, Skyler, Chakra, and Gilley track down that time  
machine."  
Gilley raised her hand. "Define our objectives here, if you don't mind."  
Zero nodded. "Be glad to. Find Wily, find the time machine, and ship Wily  
back to wherever the machine's last destination time was set. Any other  
questions?"  
I took a look around, waiting for hands. When none rose, Zero asked,  
"Anything else to say, X?"  
I shook my head. "Dismissed," I said. "Oh, by the way... the team looking  
for the machine can lose the dropships this time. We've all been there, so we  
can teleport. Everyone remember to be especially careful in carrying out  
this mission. We've no specs on the time machine, so if it craps out or Wily  
dies, we might as well kiss our butts goodbye too."  
  
* * *  
  
"You got a chance to read that disk yet?" I asked.  
"Been waitin' for a chance so both of us could read it," Zero replied,  
sitting down at a terminal. Popping the disk in the slot, we waited for the  
system to show us what was on it.  
A text box appeared, with another text window behind it. The prompt  
read: "Enter password, Zero. (It's four letters, if that helps.)"  
Zero immediately typed "Iris" and was allowed access to the document. It  
read:   
  
"To X and Zero: I was telling the truth when I talked with you, Zero. My  
programming has reverted, unfortunately and however, so my peaceful side  
will, more likely not show itself when next we meet."   
  
After that, there were a few paragraphs of garbled nonsense, then:  
  
"I hope this has helped you. I cannot ask for your help in this task to  
reconstruct my code. However, I will search myself for my creator. Don't  
watch or look for me in the future; as you well know, I'll show myself again  
when I'm ready. When I do, I'm afraid my viral programming will be the only  
code operational. I will remember what was said between us in our  
conversation, Zero, and let that weigh against the virus in me.  
"X, to you I give my deepest apologies and sympathy. I can't guarantee  
anything, but I will do my best to keep from possessing you again. Between  
you and I, I just want there to be no hard feelings.  
"I think I've said enough now. I'll leave this body and begin my search.   
Goodbye for now, my friends, and don't give up hope in this war yet.  
  
- ·  
  
"P.S.: To Zero, Iris gives her love and her encouragement. Again, don't give  
up!"  
  
I stood back and absorbed this all a minute. Rocking on my heels, I  
noticed Zero. His eyes had just scanned the last portion of the message, and  
had turned glossy. Two tears ran down his cheek. He ignored them, then  
closed out the document and removed the disk.  
"I don't think the others need to see this," he said. "There's nothing that  
concerns them."  
I nodded. "I'll see to it that it's disposed of. Get a little rest before you  
head out, Zero."  
He nodded silently. Handing the disk to me, he stole out of the room.  
I used the components in the room to begin the erasure of the disk.   
Sliding it into a tray, I clicked a few icons, and the computer did the rest.   
Even as the disk was going through its procedures, I felt my jaw slacken as I  
remembered something. I immediately popped the disk out and back into the  
terminal. Reading the file and typing in the same password, I scanned the  
document, and...  
"Damn!" It was gone, along with the entire first half of the text. The  
nonsense and hodgepodge that had been typed between the body paragraphs,  
I had realized too late, had been a part of Sigma's code. "We could've used  
that to get rid of him," I said as I banged my head on the desk. "Zero was  
right. The other Hunters definitely don't need to know about this."  
  
* * *  
  
I felt rested after about fifteen minutes of lying on the cot in my room.   
There was a rush that hadn't let down since we left Sigma's fortress, and I  
intended to use what was left of it to find that time machine.  
Rallying the other Hunters, we recalled the group separations. X and his  
team hopped in a dropship to search for Wily while we teleported away to find  
the machine.  
My team landed on a plateau about ten feet from the lake. "Ready to hop  
in, guys?" I asked as I turned to face them.  
All of them nodded to me. Iris smiled at me. I returned the grin. Good.   
"Let's go, then," I said, hopping off the small hill onto the bank of the lake.   
Diving in, I soon found the others close beside me. Our weight made us sink  
like rocks, of course. An unavoidable flaw of being a Reploid, I suppose. At  
any rate, we took a look around under the surface and found the opening of  
the tunnel we were searching for.  
I gestured in that direction, then motioned for the others follow me.   
They nodded or gave thumbs-ups to confirm that, then sloshed alongside me.   
I walked in the direction of the opening, then used my dash jets to hop up to  
it.   
It's an airtight-sealable room, I thought as I entered. The others came up  
behind me. I made sure they were all there, then tapped the control panel on  
the wall to activate the drainage of the room. With a soft slurping noise, the  
water level began to fall. As I felt the liquid drain past my chest, I began  
taking a look around for a door. "Well, nothing like a nice swim," I coughed.   
Never could get used to going underwater, I guess.  
"Nice room," Gilley remarked. "Keeps the whole little outpost dry."  
"Yeah," Iris said. "Are we all ready?"  
Skyler nodded. "I think so."  
I led the way to the portal leading to the next room. Tapping the access  
panel, I began to charge a cannon shot as the door hissed open. The light  
was lower in the corridor beyond this door, but once my eyes adjusted, I saw  
that there were no drones in it. I crept slowly forward, hearing nothing but  
the hum of multiple blasters charging. Iris came up beside me. I saw that  
she, too, had begun to charge a shot with each of her palm cannons. Small  
red spheres cascaded around the blasters. I saw move ment out of the  
corner of my eye, turned to fire--   
Then I saw a mecha-bat explode from the darkness of the ceiling. Iris  
lowered her hands from where she had fired. She let out a breath. "Nice  
one," I whispered. She smiled. "Thanks." Seeing a glint of light reflecting off  
her eye, I twirled around with my saber, slashing horizontally. Another bat  
exploded into shrapnel. Deactivating the energy blade, I blew across its top.   
"Ssssssssmokin'!" I said with a smile.  
"Cor-neeee!!" Chakra whined, slapping my helmet. "Come on, Zero, think  
up your own material, why don't ya?"  
The others joined in the laughter he started. Skyler swung around  
quickly, using his hand to slap at a spot in the air...  
Where a mecha-bat flew a half-second later. The bat fell to the ground,  
where Skyler's foot met it. Twisting his boot around, he made sure of the  
bat's death.  
Gilley twitched, made one fluid motion of removing her cape, and trapped  
another would-be assassin of a bat in it. Swinging the cape solidly onto the  
floor, we heard the bat's pieces and processors dash against the hard  
concrete.  
"It's like the tunnel's alive with `em," Chakra said as he dodged a swoop  
from still another bat. Making another swoop down, the bat stopped in the  
air as Chakra swung up his cannon to meet its forehead. With a charged  
shot, the bat fell.  
"Let's keep moving," I said. "Just move through here fast enough, then  
I've got an idea." They all followed my lead, dashing through the rest of the  
tunnel. It finally opened into a quite spacious room, furnished with no  
distinguishing marks or decorations at all. I herded them all away from the  
doorway we'd come through, then, in one motion, grabbed my saber, flicked it  
on, and ripped it through the ceiling above the opening. Debris fell to block  
the way. We wouldn't have to worry about any more bats from there. X and  
the others could take out what was left, and then blast their ways in.  
I turned my attention to this giant room before us. Any other ways to  
go? I spied an entrance on the opposite end of the room. "Through there,  
guys," I gestured. "Let's go!"  
Skyler took the lead this time. I stayed behind with Iris, covering Chakra's  
back. "Anything interesting ahead?" I whispered to Skyler.  
"I see an end to this tunnel, if that's what you mean," he said. "Nothing  
beyond it yet, though. Wish X were here."  
"So do I," I muttered. "Hope he's doin' okay."  
"Listen, not to discourage you from hoping X and the others are alright,  
but now's not really the time. I see Mavs ahead."  
"Not drones?" I asked, surprised.  
"Not drones," Iris confirmed. "I can see them from here."  
"Great. What are they?"  
"There are five of them...no, wait...eight! Eight of them!"  
"Normal for Sigma's guys, I guess."  
"They're...they're not animals, like the Mavericks you normally  
fight...they're humanoid, but not humanlike..."  
"Oh, just lemme see," I elbowed my way to the front. What I could see  
were the eight Mavs Iris had spotted. They were all like golems, or orcs,  
or...something. What I could tell was that they were all very large and very  
angry at something. Stir-craziness, I would've guessed.  
"Hmm," Gilley pouted. "Great. He couldn't even give us proper Mavericks  
to fight, could he?"  
"Wait just a minute, Gill," I said, waving a hand. "This could be a blessing in  
disguise. If they all look the same, they may all behave the same. He might  
not have finished with these before he got Wily involved in building his battle  
body."  
She nodded, chewed on her lip. "Could be. I'm glad one of us is smart  
enough to figure that," she smiled.  
I returned the gesture. "Prepare yourselves, people. We know nothing  
about these Mavericks. Be on guard at all times, and keep your eyes  
moving." Slowly and uncertainly, we began a shuffle into the room.  
  
* * *  
  
"You got a fix on Wily yet, X?" Enker asked me. I had been concentrating  
on where to find the old man for the past ten minutes. I had gotten a faint  
trace of him a few times, but he was moving fast. Apparently, Sigma and  
Zero in the same place at once had scared the old scientist to take up a lost  
career in sprinting.  
I shook my head back at him, not opening my eyes.   
"No," I said quietly. "Just keep the ship going in this direction. I know that  
much."  
"Will do, X," Argyle caled from the pilot's chair.  
Enker went back to his seat to chat with Netrix while I continued to  
mentally hunt for the old guy who had caused us so much trouble. Roll came  
to sit down beside me about a second later. I acknowledged her presence  
with a nod and a curt "hello", but otherwise I stayed quiet.  
I soon realized she'd come to tell me something, not to hold a  
conversation. I listened while I continued my radar sweep: "X, listen, I haven't  
meant to mislead you about my feelings for you. I like you, sure, but Enker's  
more my type, I think."  
I nodded without a word. She continued: "So you're not, like, hurt or  
anything that I kinda played around with you?"  
I held my spot mentally and jarred myself from my search to speak. "You  
did nothing more than was expected, Roll. It's okay. I don't blame people for  
giving into their emotions and experimenting with love. There's no hard  
feelings, I promise."  
She smiled, as if this had made her more comfortable. "Are you sure, X?"  
I returned the smile. "I'm sure. Go on and sit back down with Enker. Talk.   
Be friendly." And for pity's sake, let me find Wily! I thought.  
She stood up and went back to her seat. My eyes closed again and I took  
up where I had left off. For everyone but me right now, this was getting  
boring. Cabin fever's abounding here, I thought. I'll try to hurry myself.  
I strained my systems to their maximum searching capacity. C'mon,  
computer, find the old gray guy! I pleaded.  
I jumped. A trace of him-- could it be enough to pinpoint his location--?  
I used various automated filters of the computer to zoom in and sharpen  
the mental image I was getting of the old guy. It was him, all right. Work,  
computer, work! I need that location!  
Finally a number flashed through my mind. "Point 6744," I blurted.  
"Say what, X?" Netrix asked.  
"He's at Point 6744, and moving fast. He's in some sort of vehicle," I said  
as I saw further.   
"Is he driving himself?"  
I checked. "No... he's unconscious!"  
"Who's driving the vehicle, X?" Roll asked urgently.  
"Changing course," I heard Argyle say from the front.  
I let out a deep breath, straining my computer to go beyond its norm. I  
forced my mind's eye to make a picture of the driver. Lines began to form,  
drawing themselves onto a canvas in my mind. I knew that face...  
"Who is it?" Roll asked again.  
And with that, the image was lost. But I knew. I knew who it was, and I  
didn't like the looks of what was ahead.  
"It's Dragoon." 


	18. Dragoon Again

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Eighteen  
  
X  
  
"What the heck do you mean, `it's Dragoon'?" Argyle asked from the  
front. "Didn't Zero get rid of him?"  
"Thought so, back at Epsilon's," I said. "Remember though, all the  
Mavericks involved in this whole thing were just cheap imitations. Apparently  
Sigma didn't have enough time to get the real ones back from the time  
machine, so he just used blueprints of the old ones to build clones."  
"Makes sense now," Enker said, rubbing his chin. "So now there are  
two questions: First, how did Dragoon get back here, or is this just another  
clone?; and then, how do we get Wily away from Dragoon and back to the  
lab?"  
"Both good questions," I said, "and if we could answer the first one,  
we could answer the second easily. If this is really Dragoon, we'd have to use  
extreme stealth in getting Wily. If it's a clone, we can take him down easily  
enough without Wily getting hurt."  
"Right," Argyle called. "Perfect. So what's the plan, O Fearless  
Leader?"  
I smiled. "Can't you people think for yourselves?"  
"They pay you to do that for us," Netrix answered.  
"I've got an idea."  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
"Yello, this is Zero. What's up?"  
"Zero, it's X," came my friend's voice. "We've got a situation."  
"Why isn't it ever good when you say `we've got a situation'?"  
"It's a governmental conspiracy, bud. Seriously, though, we've got  
Wily's location."  
"So what's the problem?"  
"Well, there are three--he's unconscious, he's in a ship moving very  
quickly, and the crowning glory: Dragoon's driving him."  
My eyes widened. "Dragoon?"  
"Same reaction everyone here had. Listen, I don't know whether or  
not this is the real Dragoon or just another clone. Just check the last  
transmission date on the time machine there, will you?"  
"Sure," I said. "Chakra!" I called across the room. "Can you check  
the last date on the machine, please?"  
"Done, Zero." He waited a second, then responded: "June 5, 21XX."  
"`Ja hear that, X?"  
"I heard it," he said, sounding pained. "It's Dragoon."  
"So what's your plan?"  
"I'm gonna hafta get Wily outta there with stealth," he groaned.   
"You sure you don't wanna trade jobs?"  
I smiled. "Nice try, X. Be careful out there."  
"See you soon, Zero."  
"All right, Chakra, since Wily wasn't the last one to come through  
that machine, we need to scan the history trail, find out which time anyone  
transported from would be the most likely one that Wily came from."  
"Getting on that now," he said, typing furiously at a keyboard.  
"Whoa!" I yelled. "Easy on the keys, bud, we can't have this machine  
damaged!"  
"Right," he said. "Sorry."  
"Honest mistake," I said. "Just be careful about what you do to this  
thing."  
"Gotcha, Zero."  
Be careful what you do to this thing, or there's no telling what  
effect it could have on our lives, I thought.  
Across the large expanse of the room between us and the  
Mavericks, I radioed Iris. "How's it comin' over there?"  
"Alright, I guess. The Mavericks aren't showing much promise of  
developing into a threat, if that's what you mean."  
"Don't get careless, love," I said. "They can catch you off-guard."  
She chuckled as I heard her dash along the floor. "Will do. Just keep  
working."  
"We're almost to the bottom of this, I know," I said back. "Stay  
cautious."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Got a history trail working?" I asked Chakra fifteen minutes later.  
"I've got the four most recent transmissions," he said. Two are  
from 21XX and two from 20XX."  
Wily lived in 20XX, I knew. He died of natural causes, shortly after  
the first years of 21XX. He still had looked to have been in good health when  
I saw him, so I'd guess one of the 20XX dates was his time.  
"What are the two dates exactly, in 20XX?" I asked.  
Pulling up another screen, Chakra read them off. "June 1 and  
August 13."  
By now, the eight bumbling Mavericks had been destroyed and the  
Hunters returned to where we were.  
"Hmm," I mused. "June 1... That date mean anything to any of you?"  
Gilley shook her head. "Should it?"  
"You're too young to remember," Enker said. "It's the day Sigma  
started the Hunters and the Repliforce fighting against one another."  
I nodded. "So we have to ask ourselves whether that's just a  
coincidence, or whether he's trying to second-guess us."  
"His anti-viral programming wasn't working as strongly when he  
called Wily in to do his work," Iris said. "We've got to figure this is  
intentional, that he's trying to lure us further into his trap."  
"Skyler? Your thoughts?"  
"Haven't got a say in this," he said. "I haven't had experience dealing  
with Sigma in the way you did. I can't tell any more than you can whether  
this is a hint or a trap."  
I looked to Gilley. She shook her head. "I got nothing."  
"Me either," Chakra said. "It's up to you, Commander."  
I heaved a sigh. I hated being the responsible one. "Gimme a while.   
X has to get Wily back from Dragoon first." And yet, even as I said these  
words, I knew in the back of my mind something was wrong... wrong with  
those times... someone else from 21XX had come through the portal... But  
who?  
  
  
* * *  
  
"So what's our plan, X?" Argyle asked.  
"That's a question I wish I had the answer to, bud," I said. "Like it or  
not, we've no clue about what Dragoon could do to Wily if we got involved.   
For that reason, I can't plan for this mission. We've gotta ad-lib as best we  
can and take the consequences. The only thing I can recommend is that we  
cloak before we get to Dragoon and be as stealthy as possible. Got it?"  
Everyone nodded. "Good. We can't afford to lose Wily, much as the  
people of 20XX would like that," I smiled. "He's too crucial a piece in this  
whole time-space thing, all right? Treat Wily with the utmost care, and  
apprehend him from Dragoon without killing him."  
A second nod came, acknowledging my orders. "Gun it, Argyle," I  
said. "Slap up our cloaking while you're at it. We're coming up on the ship  
now." I could now see off our port side a small ship, dark red, gunning its  
engines hard to try to make its destination before we got to it. I held my  
breath. The cloaking system, while totally invisible to the naked eye, could be  
seen on some high-powered radar-scopes, if the user knew what they were  
doing. I hoped beyond all hope that Dragoon wasn't using the radar.  
My hopes were dashed moments later. I saw Dragoon climb out of  
the pilot's seat, hopping up onto the top of the ship. He stood there a  
moment, looked at the sky, and beckoned. He knew.  
"What should we do, X?"  
"He's calling me, Argyle. You do nothing. I'll take care of him. Try  
to get our ship down close to his, will ya? Get Wily outta there while I hold  
Dragoon off."  
That plan was soon screwed as well. Dragoon reached inside the  
passenger's window, grabbed Wily, and threw him down onto the top of the  
vehicle.  
"Greeeeeeeat...." Roll groaned. "Any other bright ideas?"  
"One more," I said. "I'll dash down there. You guys wait until I've  
gotten rid of Dragoon, then I'll grab Wily and you can fly the ship down to pick  
us up."  
"Oh, is it just as simple as that?" Argyle asked from the pilot's chair.   
"I'm the best pilot here, but I don't know if I can keep the ship steady that  
long after I pull down next to the other one. Be careful, but be quick."  
I nodded. "Will do."  
Opening the side door, I stepped out into the brutal air. Flying  
backwards a bit, I regained my speed, double-dashing towards the smaller  
ship. Positioning myself above it, I landed squarely on top, crushing the  
metal of the top only slightly.  
"Nice landing!" Dragoon yelled over the rushing air. "Thought you'd  
gotten rid of me?!"  
"Wish I had!" I said. "Listen, Dragoon, Wily has nothing to do with  
this! Just hand him over and we'll fight!"  
Wind buffeted me from back and front, my colleagues watching  
anxiously above.  
He smiled. "Nice try, X! You'll want to know the reason I'm back, I'm  
sure?!"  
I nodded. "Couldn't hurt!"  
"Sigma called me back into service from the past! He needed my  
help to carry out his plans again!"  
I kept a look of apathy. "So this time it really you?!"  
"In the flesh," he yelled, "or metal, rather!"  
I smiled. "Thanks for the talk, Dragoon, but you know we're gonna  
have to fight! Whether the good doctor here is involved or not is a different  
question!"  
He threw the old man down near his feet. "I'm ready to fight, then!"  
I'm not worried about keeping you alive, I thought. I killed you in the  
past anyways. I can take you out now and be done with it.  
"I'm ready to go!" I called. "Nice seeing you again, Dragoon!"  
"And you, X!" he called over the wind. "Let's go!"  
I began charging a buster shot, concentrating on the energy buzzing  
around me. Finally, the charge was complete. I dashed up to Dragoon, who  
hopped up a second later, coming down with a flaming kick. I dodged, turned  
around, and pegged him with the shot. Score!  
He swiveled around on one foot and readied his hands. "Hadoken!" he  
yelled, launching a fire blast at me. He followed with two more. I dodged  
them by jumping toward him, hoping for a closer shot. My charging started  
again.  
"Crap," I said as I realized what he was doing.  
"Shoryu-ken!" he shouted as he launched upward with a fiery  
uppercut.  
My head snapped back. I flew backwards a bit from the recoil, but  
gained my footing again. He had already prepared for his next attack. I shot  
off my blast at him while he stood there gaining energy. Suddenly, a long  
plume of fire shot from his mouth. I ducked, staying under the heat.  
My radio beeped at me. "What is it?!" I shouted over the comm.   
"M'A little busy here, if ya haven't noticed!"  
It was Argyle. "You're comin' up on a deserted city, X. It's the one  
the Sky Lagoon landed on."  
Perfect, I thought. I've got a chance to get rid of him here and now.   
"How far away are we?!" I asked.  
"You're 300 yards and closing fast," he replied. Got something up  
your sleeve, X?"  
"Something like that," I muttered. "Keep me posted on our position!"  
"Will do, X," he said, clicking off.  
The heat blast ended, and I was ready. Pounding Dragoon with yet  
another plasma shot, I fell back a bit as he punched and kicked at me some  
more. His curses were drowned out by the wind, still rushing past us.  
Finally, I got him in a hold, keeping him incapacitated momentarily.   
Standing on his arms and holding his head away from me with my blaster, I  
got him to stay there.  
"How far to the city, Argyle?!" I asked.  
"100 yards, X."  
"Roger that, I'm takin' Dragoon out once we get there!"  
My foe struggled to speak, his mouth pressing against my arm  
cannon. "A good fight, X!" he said. "Very good!"  
I smiled at him. "Funny, if I were you right now, I'd be furious!"  
"Well, that's because you don't know what I'm about to do..." he  
muttered as he swung his feet upwards, catching the back of my head. I fell  
on top of him, and he reversed the hold I had had. I struggled with my hands  
and feet to get out, but he had done much better than I in executing the  
move. Being considerably stronger as well, he easily held me down as he  
gloated.   
"Nice try, kid!" he laughed. "You ought not to've let your guard  
down!"  
I looked into his eyes, seeing only a reflection.... A reflection of...  
"Why don't you just finish me off now, you big bag of bolts?!" I  
heckled.  
"As a matter of fact, I think I will!" he said as he raised his hand high  
up into the air, charging it with fire. "See you in the afterlife, X!"  
Like hell you will, I thought as I used the arm he had let go of to grab  
his elbow and give him a toss backwards, onto the edge of the ship. "How's  
prospects lookin' now, Dragoon?!" I yelled as I gestured to my right.  
He looked in that direction and saw it. Closing his eyes, he stopped  
struggling and waited for it to come. I hopped away as the ship came up on  
the building ahead of it, slamming Dragoon's head into the side and sending  
his body flying off into the rubble. Unfortunately for me, all my problems  
were not gone yet. The ship was on a direct collision course with another  
skyscraper's remains directly ahead of the ship.  
I leaped over into the pilot's command chair and tried to get the  
steering under control, but the sticks wouldn't move. Dragoon had locked  
down the auto-pilot. Perfect.  
I radioed Argyle quickly. "Get your butt down here with that ship,  
now!" I roared. "I need a lift!"  
"Coming, X," he replied. "Hang on!"  
I jumped back out onto the top of the ship, collecting Wily. Argyle  
had sent the Hunter ship into double-time, trying to catch up with us now. I  
urged the ship closer, ever closer. Finally, after about ten seconds, it was  
down on the left side of the ship. I radioed Argyle as Enker slammed open  
the side door. "Keep it steady!"  
"I'll do my best! Just get here safe!"  
The ship flitted around a second trying to find a good place to hang.   
He finally got it, I guess, because the ship stopped moving eventually. "You  
good?!" I called.  
"Go ahead. Do your best, X!" he said back.  
Enker motioned for me to come on. I nodded and dashed over in the  
air, catching the side of the door. I still held Wily in my one free hand and  
pulled his dead weight up. Enker got him, but I lost my grip suddenly on the  
door and flew backwards. I used another dash to recover, falling back on the  
smaller ship's roof.  
Enker looked frenzied as he motioned this time. I saw why--the  
building was less than fifty feet from the small ship. Closing my eyes, I  
nodded to myself and jumped. Air-dashing, I found myself inside the Hunters'  
ship just as an explosion from behind me sent me rolling to the wall. As I  
heard Enker close the door again, I rubbed my head and opened my eyes,  
giving everyone a thumbs-up to let them know I was okay. I smiled and got up  
from the tight ball I had curled up into when the explosion went off, bringing  
myself back to my feet. "Did you miss me?" I asked.  
Roll ran past the others congratulating me and slammed into my  
chest. "Careful," I said. "I might've needed that air."  
She looked up at me, wrapped her arms around me, and hugged me.   
I returned the gesture, rubbing her back and easing her worry. "It's all right,"  
I whispered. "I'm back, and I'm safe."  
"You could've killed yourself, you idiot!" she said lovingly, tears  
forming in her eyes.  
I wiped them away with my fingers and raised her chin to look into  
my eyes again. "Maybe you were wrong about us being wrong for each  
other," I said.  
"Maybe I was," she said, hugging me tighter. I guided her face  
towards mine, ending in a passionate and lengthy kiss. The others had, by  
now, turned away, thank goodness. "Don't scare me like that again," she  
whispered.  
"I can't promise you anything anymore, Roll," I said. "I can't promise  
you anything. Everything now has become too complicated. I hate to think  
what this could have been like, though, if Sigma's viral functions were the  
only things working."  
She sighed. "I guess I'll have to settle for that."  
"Listen, lovebirds, unless we've got spare fuel, I can't promise you  
we'll live another five minutes," Argyle called from the front. I gave Roll a  
look that said "I'm sorry," then ran up there.  
"What's up, Argyle?" I asked. "Fuel low?"  
"Worse than low," he said. "We're runnin' on auxiliary, plain and  
simple."  
"We got any extra anywhere?"  
"None that's not already being used," he said. "It looks bad. The fuel  
tank's gonna blow up, X. Unless we get moving now, we've no chance."  
"Can you do anything about it?"  
"I can try. There're parachutes in the back compartment. There  
should be enough for everyone."  
"Stay here and try to pull out of it, Argyle, if you want," I said, "but  
don't risk your life to save a ship, if you can help it. Get me?"  
"Clear as crystal, Fearless Leader," he acknowledged, typing away at  
status changes and blueprints of the ship. "Get goin'!"  
Pulling the parachutes out of the hidden compartment, I tossed one  
to everybody, making especially sure Roll got one. Opening the door, I called  
to Argyle: "Hurry up, buddy. I expect you right behind us!"  
I heard a "yeah, all right," come out over the rushing wind and typing.   
Enker gladly took a leap from the opening, followed by Netrix.  
Roll turned back from the door and gave me a kiss. "No matter what  
happens here, I love you," she said.  
"Don't be silly," I said. "We'll come out of this one fine. Just go. I'll  
be right behind you, I promise." This seemed to calm her down, and she  
hopped out. I gave another shout to Argyle and a warning, then told him to  
hurry up. Hearing an acknowledgement, I jumped out towards the others.  
Dashing downward to catch up with them, I found Roll and hugged her  
to me. "Some date," she said. "Maybe we should do this again sometime."  
"It's not everyday you get to watch an evil robot's head get ripped  
off, then parachute from a ship a hundred feet above the ground, huh?"  
She smiled and laid her head on my chest. I gripped her around the  
shoulders firmly, making sure I had her, then pulled my parachute's rip cord.   
At exactly the same instant, I heard a BOOM from above, and hung my head  
in sorrow. I told him to save himself, I thought. Always have to go down with  
the ship, do you, Argyle?  
I touched ground with Roll a minute later, and found all the others  
had done the same. Pieces of our ship began raining down onto my `chute as  
it began billowing around Roll and me. "He didn't make it" was all I could bring  
myself to say. 


	19. User-unfriendly

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Nineteen  
  
X  
  
We began searching among the rubble of the ship for Argyle's remains.   
That search ended quickly. Finding the ship's skeleton, I searched around the  
cockpit for any sign of the old guy, but found nothing.  
"I've gotta talk to Zero," I said to myself. Radioing him, I related the  
list of recent events to my friend. He took in every word with an  
understanding sigh. Telling him about the ship's crash, however, he stopped  
me.  
"Go back to that last part," he said. "Once you searched for Argyle's  
body in the cockpit, you didn't find it?"  
"Nope," I said. "I know he didn't bail, `cause I didn't see him leave the  
ship."  
Zero gave another one of those sighs, mixed with a hint of interest,  
and then a curse. "You're sure you didn't see him bail?"  
"Absolutely sure," I said. "You know something?"  
"I might," he said. "I'm gonna put out a call to all Hunters still at HQ to  
begin a search for him."  
"You think Argyle's still alive?"  
"Worse than that. I think Chakra was right about him."  
"Should I be worried?"  
"Not right now. For now, just worry about getting Wily here. We'll  
worry about Argyle later."  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
"`Anything I should be worried about?' he asks," I muttered. I'd say so,  
if Chakra's right. Could Argyle have been...one of them all along and us not  
suspect it? Had he been the other one who came through the portal from  
21XX?  
"You can't find out who came through that thing last, can you, Chakra?"  
I asked.  
"You're being awfully inquisitive about this thing's workings, Zero," he  
said. "Any reason?"  
"I have to be inquisitive, Chakra. I'm the Commander here, right?"  
He smiled. "Right. Anyway, sorry to spoil your small moment of  
genius, but I've already checked that. If there's a way to find out who came  
through last, I haven't found it yet."  
"Crud," I whispered. "That's one less lead for us, then."  
He nodded, exasperatedly. "Yeah. You'd be surprised how boring it  
gets even for a gadget guy like me."  
I smiled. "I can only imagine. You do good work, Chakra."  
"Thank you, sir."  
"Sure. Just keep doing good work, huh?"  
"On it."  
I walked over to Iris. "Down-heartedness hasn't gotten to you yet, has  
it, love?"  
She smiled, in as good of spirits as ever, apparently. "Not here. The  
others're just looking for something to do. A pep talk probably wouldn't hurt  
`em, Zero."  
I fingered a strand of her hair, smiling. "Right."  
I found a spot close to all of them, then got everyone's attention.   
"Listen guys," I said, "don't lose heart for this yet. X just radioed me and  
said they got Wily back. His team'll be here soon."  
Gilley brightened a bit. "I've missed Argyle. Did X tell you anything  
about how everyone was?"  
I winced inside. I can't let her down right now, not like this. "He said  
everyone was fine. No one dead, anyways." Well, it isn't a total lie, if my  
theory's right, I thought. But Argyle could be something worse than dead...  
Checking back in with Chakra, I asked him if he had any theories on who  
the people from 20XX could have been. "My only guess is some poor civilians  
who wandered into the portal or something," he said. "And again, that's only  
a guess."  
"I'm forming some more theories of my own," I said, mulling over that in  
my mind. He-- He-- couldn't have come back, could he? But who would the  
other one from 21XX have been? Who else came through after Dragoon?   
Unanswered questions, and too little time to ponder them. Shoot.  
"You'll have time to think about it later, boss," said Chakra. "Right now,  
I've got a ship over the fortress's debris. Care to go check it out?"  
"No need. They're friendlies, Chakra. It's X and his group, and they no  
doubt come bearing gifts. They've gotten the old guy back from Dragoon, I'd  
wager."  
  
  
* * *  
X  
  
I dragged Wily by his lab-coat collar to the lake with us. Popping a  
portable rebreather into his mouth, I sank to the bottom with him. The  
others followed as I saw the tunnel Sigma had mentioned. I began to jet up  
there, using my dash jets to propel me. Once inside, I noticed the  
architecture of the room. It's airtight, I thought. They can drain the water  
out of here. I looked around and found a control panel on the wall farthest  
me. Tapping the one button on its face, I began to breathe easier as the  
water seeped from the room.  
I looked around. Everyone had followed okay. Good. I pulled the device  
from Wily's mouth and threw it onto the floor. It was no longer needed; he  
wouldn't be going back in that lake anytime soon.  
"Guys, group formation. Let's move into the next room."  
I sauntered up to the door and tapped the panel. The door hissed open,  
and I was greeted with a black corridor ahead.  
"Anyone volunteer to go first?" I said with a smile. The others smiled  
and chuckled as I led the way into the long stretch of hall.  
The end of the hall was blocked, I could see. Zero. I smiled. My old  
friend's personality showed even through something so simple as a crumbled  
wall. I'm coming, buddy, I thought as I noticed a glimmer of light from the  
corner of my eye. Twirling around, I ducked as a mecha-bat swooped down to  
attack. Rolling back a foot or two, I came to stop in a crouch, firing several  
small energy bolts at my assailant. "Take that, you waste of scrap," I said  
as it exploded. "Keep your eyes open, guys," I said. "Zero sealed the tunnel  
to keep the bats out of their workspace. Get to the rubble."  
Some nodded as I began to dash toward the end of the tunnel. I turned  
back a few times to make sure everyone was with me, firing a few shots at  
the gaining bats. Finally, we had reached the crumbled rock, and I motioned  
for the others to start moving the clutter to make a hole through. Slinging  
Wily off in a corner, I met with the horde of flying nasties fast approaching.   
A charged shot here, a charged shot there, and six or seven bats were  
downed permanently. I glanced backward and saw that my troops had opened  
a small hole, and that Zero and his group had begun to help them with the job.   
I smiled and kept at shooting the bats.  
Continuing my glances, I saw that the others had finally cleared out a  
hole large enough and were beginning to help people through. After they'd  
shoved the last one through, I fired off about three more charged shots,  
picked Wily up from his resting place, tossed him through the opening, then  
dashed quickly through the hole, where Zero slammed a boulder large enough  
to cover it.  
I stood up and accepted my friend's hand. "Have a fun time with  
Dragoon?" he asked with a glint of question in his eye.  
I smiled. "Fun's not exactly the word," I said. "He got his head raked  
off on a skyscraper back at the Sky Lagoon ruins."  
He winced. "Ooooh, that's gotta sting."  
"I can only imagine."  
"So you got the old coot, eh?" Zero asked, bending down, eye level with  
Wily.  
"He was a slippery one," I said. "I'm not sure we'll ever know exactly  
why Dragoon kidnapped him, though."  
"Fulfilling the virus part of Sigma's plan to warp time, maybe?"  
"You think he meant to do that in the first place?"  
"Maybe, but when I said something about it to him, maybe it snapped  
the Reploid part of Sigs into awakening for just a nanosecond, long enough  
for him to understand."  
I shrugged. "Not sure we'll ever know now."  
Zero shook his head. "He'll be back, and we'll have another chance to  
talk, somewhere down the road. I know it. I just know it."  
"You're not givin' up on him, are you?" I asked. "You still think, deep  
down inside, he has good intentions?"  
"I think it's a liable hypothesis. However, right now, what I think doesn't  
matter so much as to what the facts are."  
"Have you figured out the controls to the machine yet?"  
"As best we can," he nodded. "Let's send the old guy back to his own  
time, what say?"  
I nodded, smiling. "I think Wily's seen enough of the future."  
"Oh, one other thing," Chakra called, "we've found a mechanism built  
into the machine that erases all memory of these future events from the  
traveler's mind. You want us to zap the old guy's memories out of  
existence?"  
"I think it's an excellent idea, Chakra," I said. "He might have learned  
enough about Reploid robotics here to destroy Mega Man earlier on than he  
should."  
Chakra nodded, going back to work in his swivel chair. "Right, boss."  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
I took X aside quickly. "Speaking of Mega Man, there are two entries  
on the time machine's history trail from 20XX. We know one of them's  
Wily's, but beyond that..."  
"You think he may have come after Wily when he disappeared?"  
"I think it's possible."  
"Man, this mission just keeps getting more involved..."  
"I know. First we're sent off to get Sigma's source code from ten  
minidiscs, then we find Wily making Sigs' battle body, then we find out  
Sigma's not as bad as we think, then Dragoon kidnaps the old guy, and now..."  
"My predecessor may be in the same time as I am, hunting down his  
enemy. Weirder and weirder."  
"Listen, let's get back to the others, or they may think something's  
up."  
"Oh!" he said, practically yelling, "have you told Gilley about Argyle  
yet?"  
I hung my head. "I didn't know about...THEM...until about ten minutes  
ago. I had no idea."  
"You don't keep your eyes all that open, do you?" he said with a  
smile.  
I returned it. "Wasn't she a little young for him, though?"  
"Point taken, I suppose. Anyway, no, I haven't told her. Care to do  
the honors?"  
"Spare me the sarcasm. It's not needed."  
"Sorry."  
"It's all right."  
"Anyway, if anyone would have to do it, I guess it should be me.   
`Scuse me," he said, then took off toward Gilley. I watched as he drew her  
aside, began talking, she, keeping a smile on her face, then X slowing down  
and relating the news. Her smile quickly disappeared and became a teary  
frown. She leaned on X's shoulder for support. I looked away. I didn't need  
to see this.  
Walking over to Iris, I smiled as she saw me coming. She stepped up  
from where she leaned against the side of the time machine. I slipped behind  
her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "Feeling any better?"  
"Alright now," she whispered. "The others are in good spirits, too, it  
seems. X and his group's boosted morale, I'd say."  
"Hmm," I grunted. "Iris...you know I don't like to have to ask you  
this...but did you--I mean, did you ever--?"  
"Have any notion that Sigma had something else up his sleeve?"  
"That's the question."  
"I kept getting vague, and often vacant inclinations as to  
something," she said, "but nothing concrete, nothing that could help us now."  
I nodded. Using my hands to move her shoulders, I turned her to  
face me. "You, Roll, and Enker are our three biggest aces right now against  
the old guy," I said, touching my head to hers. "Anything at all you can tell us  
would be of the utmost help."  
"I understand," she said, "but my answer hasn't changed in five  
seconds, Zero," she continued, smiling. "Always the impatient one, aren't  
you?"  
"I try," I said, brushing a lock of her hair aside. Hugging her, I  
whispered in her ear, "But you're the beautiful one."  
"I try as well," she whispered back. Moving away from me, her eyes  
flitted away. "Chakra's waving for you," she said, pointing. "Get this  
wrapped up ASAP, will you? I'm tired of this fighting for now."  
"So am I," I said as I turned to walk towards the main controls. "So  
am I."  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Whatcha got for me, Chakra?" I said as I leaned on his shoulder.  
"What I got is the jackpot, boss," he said, beaming. As he pulled up a  
screen on the computer, he began gesturing to certain things on the screen,  
describing each. "I've finally got a GUI working here."  
"Gooey?" I asked.  
"A GUI, boss. Graphical-user interface."  
"Oh, right."  
He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I can get to the history trail from  
here, the time selection option from here, and from here," (at this point he  
gestured to a humanoid icon with a great question-mark inside of it) "from  
here, I can get the mug of anyone who's used this machine."  
I squeezed his shoulder, standing back up. "Awesome job, Chakra!   
You've earned double vacation time for this, bud."  
"Thanks, sir," he said.  
"Get on looking who the last four subjects in this machine were," I  
said. "Finally, some more good news! This'll definitely cheer the others up." 


	20. Sigma Returns

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty  
  
Zero  
  
I gave Iris and X the good news quickly. They related it in turn to the  
others. The morale end of the scale definitely took an upswing once  
everyone found out. Even Gilley looked happier, and that was saying  
something to me. Everyone practically leaped for joy when Chakra announced  
he had found who the first person through the portal was.  
I dashed over to the panel to meet him, grin etched on my face. "Wily,  
like we thought?" I asked.  
He nodded, gestured to the screen. Clear as crystal. There's the old  
guy himself."  
On the monitor was displayed a frontal picture of Wily, eyes set in that  
eternal frown, but with a look of surprise. "Didn't expect to show up a  
hundred years in the future, I don't gather," Chakra remarked as he noticed  
this.  
"I see what you mean," I replied. "Any luck on the second one yet?"  
"Computer's still working," he said, bringing up another window with a  
progress bar moving slowly at its bottom.  
"Keep up the good work, buddy," I said, patting him on the back as I  
waltzed back over to the others.  
"Wily?" X asked immediately.  
"Wily," I nodded. "The other one's almost for sure Mega Man. He came  
through two months later, so Dr. Light had to've worked major overtime on  
building his own time machine so Mega could follow Wily."  
"Still a question of how he knew what time to travel to," X said. "Mega  
Man, I mean."  
"I'm developing ideas about that as well," I said quickly. "Have the  
Hunters back on the surface found any trace of Argyle yet?"  
He nodded. "They're following a trail of ionized carbon particles that  
led away from the explosion back at Sky Lagoon. They're sure to find him, if  
they keep looking."  
"Good," I said. "Keep `em on it. I have a bad feeling about Argyle now.   
Very bad."  
  
  
* * *  
X  
  
"Progress?" I asked as I found Chakra hard at work.  
"Ah, X. Great to see you," he said, pulling up a window with an image in  
it. "See for yourself."  
A picture of our suspicion had finally materialized. From the ridged  
crest perched atop his helmet to the large blue boots, not unlike mine, it was  
him. The stopper of robotic evils in 20XX. The hero of all robots, Mega Man.  
My eyes held an interested look, though I tried my best to conceal it.   
This guy was like a past life of mine, practically. So this was what I had been  
before. This was my blueprint. This was the hero who had saved so many.  
"Kinda frightenin' to see yourself mirrored, ain't it?" Chakra said,  
breaking me out of my trance. "Mirrored in a hundred-year-old robot's  
person. Spooky, if you ask me."  
I smiled. "Spooky's definitely the word, Chakra. Thanks. I'll notify  
Zero, and you keep at it."  
"Will do, X."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Raising my voice slightly, I spoke to the entire group. "Chakra's just  
confirmed the second traveler. It's Mega Man. We presume he came here to  
search for Dr. Wily, who was, as you well know, his sworn enemy, and that of  
his maker as well."  
Zero gave me a nod to continue. "Now, I'll let you in on who Zero and I  
have been thinking the last individual from 21XX is. We've been entertaining  
different thoughts for a while, but it seems logical that..."  
But I couldn't finish. An alarm sounded in my mind, warning me of  
intruders. "Zero," I said, jerking a thumb toward the door, "we got company.   
Take some of `em out and take care of whoever it is. We'll stay here and  
cheer Chakra on."  
He nodded. Rallying Iris, Enker, and Netrix, he loped over to the  
crumbled wall and began removing the stones again from their path. "You  
know, there's gotta be an alternate exit outta here," I heard him mutter.  
"But Commander X," Chakra said from his seat, "who do you think the  
other one is?"  
I shook my head. "For now, it doesn't matter. Keep finding those  
people's pictures, Chakra."  
"As ordered, sir," he said reluctantly.  
I radioed across the large room. "Good luck, Zero. Make it back safe.   
Call for help if you need it."  
"I hear ya, bud," he said back, as he and the others disappeared out the  
hole.  
"Confirmed, the third traveler is Dragoon," Chakra called to me.   
"There's the next-to-last, Commander. You gonna tell me who you think the  
other is now?"  
I shook my head, smiled. "Nope. Find it out for yourself, my man."  
He grumbled, but continued typing and clicking. "Yes, sir."  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
I walked cautiously out into the corridor beyond the time chamber,  
noticing that the bats that flocked here only hours ago had suddenly  
vanished. That's never a good sign, I thought. Drones aren't exactly the  
smartest creatures alive, but they know when to run.  
"Could this be Argyle?" Iris asked quietly.  
"There's a good chance," I said. "An overly good chance, if you ask  
me."  
However, when we turned a few corners later and stepped back into  
the drain room, it wasn't Argyle we came face-to-face with.  
It was Sigma. Though in a somewhat smaller body than when last we'd  
met, he still had the same scarred face and calm eyes.  
Iris began to rush at him. I shot a hand forward, grasping the edge of  
her blue cape, tugging her back towards me. "So this thing is good for  
somethin' other than style," I said.  
She looked at me with a look of pure anger on her face. "Zero, it's  
SIGMA!" she boomed. "He made me fight you. He made you fight defenseless  
humans! He made X fight you!"  
I looked her straight in the eye. "Have you forgotten what happened  
back at the fortress?" I said through gritted teeth. "He was civilized with  
me."  
"But he said his viral programming reverts!" she spouted.  
"Excuse me, if I may," he spoke up, moving towards Iris. She shrank  
away, but he pulled her slowly toward him. "Look into my eyes, Iris," he said  
gently.  
She obeyed unwittingly, casting a pure icy gaze into his green (green?)  
eyes. "It's not him," she said forcefully. "It's not the virus Sigma."  
"I understand how you feel," he said, "but anger towards just my form  
isn't helping anything."  
I pulled her back over towards me. "But an interesting question arises  
here, Sigma," I said. "Why are you here? If your viral programming didn't  
bring you here, what's your intent?"  
He nodded. "A fair question, Zero. One that, fortunately, I'm able to  
answer. As myself, I was going to make sure everything about the sending  
of Wily back through the portal turned out just as planned."  
"I hate to break it to you, Sigs," I said, "but as long as you're here and  
your viral programming is still intact, you remain a danger to everyone here.   
I have no choice but to ask you to leave."  
"Of course," he said, considering this. "But come now, surely you must  
want to know why my other half called Dragoon back through the portal?"  
"You knew about that?" Netrix asked.  
"I knew," he said. "However, I was not permitted to say anything about  
it until after he reappeared to you," he said, tapping his head.  
Enker nodded. "Go on."  
"Dragoon was brought back to try to break up the Hunters again," he  
said. "That succeeded. You were in two groups for a while."  
"So what was that plan's purpose?" Iris asked, now intrigued.  
"I can't say. However, it was part of Sigma's original plan, so now he's  
having to ad-lib."  
"And a Maverick without a plan is like a rabid dog without a muzzle," I  
said. "We're definitely gonna hafta stay on our toes."  
He nodded. "Absolutely." Suddenly, the legs of his body began to give  
way, and he sank to floor rather quickly.  
"Sigma?" I asked, concerned.  
"The body... It's losing power fast," he said. "The virus is trying to get  
me out of here, trying to keep me from telling you anything else."  
"He's draining its energy?" I asked. "What would that profit for him?   
He loses faster transportation and a better chance of beating us," I said,  
hoisting him to his feet, resting his arm on my shoulder.  
"Maverick... doesn't always think straight," he said with a pained smile.   
"That's your advantage. Keep a cool head and think logically. He's losing his  
cool." His eyes began to flash green, then blue.  
I nodded. "Are you gonna leave before he reverts?"  
He struggled to gain some energy back, finally waving my hand off his  
shoulder. "I can teleport away. Get someone to activate the anti-portation  
field once I leave. It's on the time machine's main controls."  
I nodded at him. "Will do," I said. Radioing Chakra, I ordered him to get  
ready to activate that. "On my word," I said.  
"See you again, Zero," Sigma said as his body was enveloped in a green  
shaft of light.  
"Good luck, Sigs," I said as I gave Chakra the word. I could've sworn I  
heard a loud curse from outside just seconds later. 


	21. The Blue Bomber is Back...

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty-One  
  
X  
  
"Chakra?" I said expectantly.  
He nodded on reflex. "25% to go, boss. Have it ready in a minute."  
I nodded back. "Thanks. Zero?" I radioed. "Sigs get out okay?"  
"Yeah, X. We'll be back in a sec. Just tell Chakra to hurry. I'm  
forming a plan already."  
"Already?" I repeated. "You amaze me, Zero."  
He chuckled. "I amaze me too sometimes. Here we are," he said as I  
saw his head peek from the hole in the collapsed doorway.  
"Man, I wish this stupid computer could go faster," I heard Chakra  
mutter. I just laughed.  
"Finally, the tables are turned," I said. "Now the computer guy's in  
suspense instead of us."  
"I think it's really unfair, you not telling me your theory," he said with  
a pout.  
I lowered my head. "You really wanna know who I think it is, Chakra?"  
I whispered.  
He opened his eyes a little wider. "Sure, X. Who?"  
I smiled. "See for yourself," I said, pointing at the monitor. The  
status bar had completed its course: 100%.  
He gave me a false glare. "I hate you," he said offhand.  
I just walked back towards Zero with the news, laughing a hearty  
laugh.  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Yo, bud," I called. "Zero, we've got the last person."  
"And from the looks of things," he said as he cast a gaze over to  
Chakra's place at the console, "it was slightly shocking to Chakra."  
I glanced back now. Sure enough, the guy was sitting in a fixed wide-  
eyed stare, not even blinking at the screen in front of him. "Sure was," I  
said. "You think we were right?"  
"Only one way to know for sure," he said, leading the way back to the  
machine with Iris tagging along on his arm.  
I dashed around in front of the two. I was eager to see whether  
Zero and I had been correct in our theory. Had the second traveler from  
21XX, in fact, been...?  
"Argyle," I heard Chakra whisper. "That crafty old Reploid..."  
I turned my eyes towards the monitor. Sure enough, the old guy was  
captured in a picture on the screen.  
I punched Zero's shoulder. "We were right, man."  
"That we were, X," he said. "A question still remains, though: why?   
Why did Argyle come here?"  
I nodded. "He was a newer recruit to the Hunters. We have no idea  
how long Sigma's been planning this whole thing. He's had five years to work  
through the logic. Argyle could've housed another strain of sigmae  
mavericus." I followed through with that thought. I knew anything viral in  
nature could, and most likely would be destroyed in the time-distortion  
process the machine used to transport a traveler. Dragoon's Maverick half  
had been okay, because the virus had been implanted into a Reploid body, as  
Argyle apparently had. They were both good ideas, but Sigs had to come  
back here to do his own dirty work, I suppose. He must've found a crap body  
to use while he called Wily back to build another one for him, and had Dragoon  
guard him. But for what?  
"Oh, God," Chakra said. "I just realized something..."  
I cocked an eyebrow. "What is it, Chakra?"  
He shook his head. "This is not good. This is so not good."  
Zero seemed to suddenly get it too as Chakra motioned towards the  
screen. He spoke: "Two identical parent strains of Sigma's virus exist in the  
same time now."  
"The effects could be disastrous!" Iris said worriedly.  
I wasn't much better myself. "You think he's been meaning to warp  
time all along, just so he could rid himself of the Hunters?"  
"So he could at least have a chance at taking over," Roll nodded, her  
arms suddenly around my neck. "He knows that, with the Hunters still in his  
way, that he can never win."  
Enker nodded, his face appearing from the darkness. "So he was  
desperate to get you two especially out of the picture by any means  
necessary. I felt that, too, when he still had me. There's this lingering fear  
that he has, a phobia, almost."  
It made me feel good, but not reassured. "Listen, for right now,  
let's get Wily back."  
"No," Zero said firmly. "Wait. We need Mega Man back here so he  
can go back through the portal. He's, without a doubt, searching for the  
good doctor here," he gestured.  
Chakra nodded. "I've got something that closely matches his signal  
about a hundred-fifty, two hundred yards from here."  
"You wanna send a ship out after him?" Enker asked.  
I shook my head. "Zero and the others can, if they want, but I've got  
some serious mental preparations to do before I see the other me."  
Roll smiled. "We'll be back before you know it, X."  
I kissed her cheek. "I hope so," I said. "Get back safely, love."  
"I will," she said, drifting closer to my ear. "I promise."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Roll  
  
I hopped absentmindedly into the ship Zero would pilot to pick up the  
old fighter, Mega Man. He was fun and cheery to talk with, I had heard. I  
could believe it. X's body, personality, and even his voice had been based on  
this older version of himself. I hid my fascination and eagerness quietly, just  
telling Zero to hurry up.  
"Don't worry," he told me. "I don't want time warping any more than  
it already has. Once we get Wily and Megs back through the portal, we've still  
got another version of Sigma to worry about."  
Yes, of course. Sigma needed to be stopped. The only question I  
still had was of this new version of Sigma's true intentions. Could he have  
been the one that struck Iris, Enker, and I with the slavish virus?  
Of course not, I thought quickly. He gave X and Zero help throughout  
this mission. He wouldn't've done that if he hadn't been sincere.  
Or would he? I now even questioned that. The hints he gave, every  
shred of assistance, could've been a key piece to a gigantic plot to reel in the  
Irregular Hunters. I'd settle with Sigs for now, but I still felt uneasiness  
towards his sudden change of heart.  
As the ship's engines hummed and the vehicle rose from the ground,  
I hopped into the front seat alongside Zero. He acknowledged my presence,  
but didn't offer a word. I couldn't blame him. Meeting this hero of the  
robotic race was going to be more than an honor; it was to be a privilege. I  
was dumbstruck as well. It wouldn't have done any good to try to talk.  
I listened to a conversation between Skyler and Enker in the back,  
giving no indication of my interest. "It ought to be cool to meet Rock," Skyler  
said. "I may not be as old as he is, but I'm only a few days younger than X.   
Rock and I used to talk about little things. He won't recognize me, of course:  
we met in the early decades of 21XX."  
Rock, I thought. Mega Man's other name, of course. And his sister's  
name was Roll. Rock and Roll. That's just funny, in a corny sort of way.  
"Hmm," Enker said. "I've heard he lived to be extremely old. Didn't  
they put him in some museum?"  
"He didn't die," Skyler said back. "He lived to fight Wily for many  
years, sure, but he never died."  
"Then what...?"  
"He was deactivated when Reploids began to be mass-produced. His  
technologies were custom-made by Dr. Light, and weren't all that  
upgradeable. His only flaw was that when he became obsolete, he wasn't  
needed anymore." *  
"Interesting," Enker said. "I never knew that."  
"Little-known fact," Skyler replied. "He chose for it to happen. Light  
didn't want him to do it. He wanted to keep him as a worker robot or  
something."  
"So instead, he ended up...?"  
"As a heroic display in the Terran Museum of Robotic History,"  
Skyler finished. "Frozen forever as the figure he was. I visit the museum  
when I can, pretend I can still talk to the old guy." A tear fell from his duct.   
Remembrance of an old friend...touching.  
I wanted to meet this Mega Man. I smiled. "Now I'm ready," I  
whispered under my breath.  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
I saw a blue-armored figure fast approaching the ship. Setting  
down, I swallowed nervously. Cutting off the engines, I said "we're here,"  
then popped open the nearest door. Lumbering out onto the cracked earth  
of the mountains, I looked to my left. There he was, walking towards the  
ship with a charged shot of his Mega Buster going. Of course, he didn't know  
whether we were friends or the enemy.  
"You there, red robot!" he called. I widened my eyes to show I'd  
heard him. "You see an old guy in a lab coat come this way?" I shuddered  
inside. His voice was almost identical to X's. Weird...  
"Yeah," I said. "In fact, we've got him back at the underground cave  
where you arrived."  
"Is that so?" he asked, with a rascally tone to his voice. "And you  
are...?"  
"Zero," I said with a smile. He was only about thirty feet from me  
now. "You worn out, searching for Wily an' all?"  
"Just a bit," he said.  
"You can get rid of that charged shot," I said. "There's no enemies  
to fight here."  
"Oh, right," he said, taking a glance at his cannon suddenly and giving  
me a classic Mega Man grin. He raised his blaster up in the air, prepared to  
fire, and let the blast go...  
Right at me. I had no time to move from the shock. The blast  
struck me full in the chest, propelling me backward into Skyler's arms. He  
shoved me back to my feet, where I examined my burnt armor. "Thanks,  
Skyler," I said quickly.  
"No prob."  
I heard the shooter curse. "You couldn't've just died, could you?"  
I narrowed my eyes. "Stop disguising yourself, virus..." I growled.  
The evil grin of blue eyes returned to his face, and the voice  
immediately became lower and more devious. "Can't believe you figured me  
out this time, Zero," came Sigma's voice.  
"Well, after Mega Man fired his Buster at me, I had this vague  
thought that something might be up."  
Roll looked at the robot, confused. "Isn't that Mega Man, though?"  
I shook my head. "His system wouldn't have been compatible with  
the virus. It's a cheap Reploid imitation. Notice the helmet light?"  
Skyler slapped his head in exasperation with himself. "I should've  
remembered that! I, of all people, should've remembered that!"  
I raised my hand to signal the Hunters. They knew what the gesture  
meant. I heard the charging of multiple blasters begin behind me.  
"You've nowhere to go, Sigma," I threatened. "Give yourself up."  
"For what purpose? What would it achieve? Surely even you see the  
impracticality of that, Zero."  
I gave him a cold stare. "My hand gets tired after a while, Sigs. If  
you want to keep up the jabber, by all means..."  
"No intention of doing so," he said. "My self-destruct has just been  
activated. You'll hear from me a lot sooner than you think."  
By this time, I was tired of his cryptic talk. I dropped my hand.   
Thirty balls of plasma energy flew toward him, completely vaporizing the  
body of the faux Mega Man.  
"We ought to get back," Iris said. "I've got a feeling."  
I nodded. "So do I."  
At that moment, my radio beeped. I answered it. X was talking  
hurriedly. "Zero, you've gotta get back to the outpost!" he yelled.  
"What is it, X?" I asked.  
"Sigma, here. The niceness, the help...his Reploid half is just gone...  
Zero, he's nothing but our enemy now! Get your butts back here and help us  
out!"  
"What's he got?" I asked as I stepped back into the cockpit of the  
ship and fired the engines.  
"A horrible new body," he said. "Just get back... Get..." Then static  
faded into his speech.  
"X?" I asked. "X! Please respond!"  
No reply, of course. I expected that. "One thing after another..." I  
muttered as I lifted off and flew back in the direction of the haven. I'm sorry  
it worked out this way. You're a good guy at heart. I wanted to believe it  
could be possible, Sigma...I'm sorry... I thought wistfully, hitting the  
afterburners.  
  
Roll  
  
I was seriously worried about X now. I urged Zero to punch it. He  
pushed the throttle a bit harder, and we began flying faster. What if X had  
been cut off because he'd been--?  
Don't think of that right now, Roll, I told myself. X probably has  
enough to worry about right now.  
How many people had we left with him? Counting Netrix, Chakra, and  
Gilley, three. I feared now that that wasn't enough. Gilley might not have  
been able to fight in her state of emotion about Argyle, and Chakra, while  
good with computers, wasn't the greatest of fighters. Netrix was X's only  
real ace in the hole. And if Sigma's body was as bad as X had said it was...  
I shuddered. Don't think of that, Roll. Think of how you're going to  
rip Sigma open when you get back. I smiled angrily. Yes, Sigma, you will die.   
Here and now.  
  
* Author's Note: This is strictly of my imagination. The actual future of  
Mega Man is not known for certain. I'm playing Devil's Advocate here. 


	22. Sigma's New Body

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
X  
  
I watched in horror as the new body of Sigma reared its head  
upwards with an evil laugh. It was like an enormous snake, only with legs...it  
was a dragon! A dragon with a brilliant green skin and his own deep blue eyes,  
I found as I studied it. Its body wasn't outfitted with any weapons I could  
see, though there were probably hidden panels for that. Its long tail swished  
around behind its head, and its back claws were firmly planted in the floor of  
the room. The letter Sigma was impressed in the metal, and two ugly horns  
hung above its head, charging electrical energy. To heck with looking at the  
thing, I told myself, move it!  
As I dashed as far away as I could from it, Netrix and Chakra  
followed. "Wait, guys! Who are we missing?" I called.  
My answer was soon found with a piercing scream from the half of  
the room Sigma was on. Gilley! Oh, man...  
I still tried to recount my thoughts. How could he have gotten into  
the room? He couldn't just waltz in through the door; the body was nearly  
thirty feet tall! Teleportation? I asked myself. No, Chakra used the anti-  
portation field on the fortress, I reminded myself. I slapped my head in self-  
exasperation. You idiot! If his viral half made him lie about what plans he  
had, he'd've lied about that too! Teleportation it was.   
Gilley screamed again. I rallied the other two Hunters to help me  
with her. Sigma had picked her up in one claw, and was making piercing  
movements toward her with the other. Crap! "Netrix, Chakra, give me a  
boost into the air," I said. "I've got an idea."  
Each of them got on either side of me, and clasped their hands  
together to make a step for me. "Here goes nothing," I said as I climbed up  
on their hands, using their shoulders to steady myself. "Now!"  
They threw their hands upward, sending me with them. I flew into  
the air, somersaulting once, twice before finishing my ascent. Sigma had  
sprouted a flexible laser cannon from his shoulder, and turned it on me. I air-  
dashed to dodge, then landed on the dragon's chest. The vacant claw now  
turned to scratch at me. I swung to the left, then to the right, letting the  
dragon scratch its armor each time. "You havin' fun yet, Sigma?" I yelled to  
its head.  
To my amazement, the dragon spoke. "You look as if you're enjoying  
yourself, X. Careful, my other hand is getting tired."  
I wasn't worried about him dropping Gilley. Either she would dash to  
the floor herself, of Chakra or Netrix would catch her. "Try me, Sigs," I  
yelled.  
His claw swiped quickly again, missing my hands by only a  
centimeter. I had to get up onto his neck somehow. I began to kick at the  
chest, building momentum. As the claw swiped again, I hopped backwards and  
air-dashed upward. Clinging onto the first thing I could grasp, I pulled myself  
up.  
"Aw, crap," I said. I was standing on his snout. His blue eyes glared  
angrily at me.  
"You annoying little fly," he said menacingly. "I'll crush you!" He used his  
free hand to slap at his nose. I dashed back into the air, and he hit his own  
snout, sending even more fury through him. I laughed as I landed again.  
"Whassamatter, Sigs?" I asked. "Lost a little hand-eye coordination,  
did we?"  
He growled. Smoke began to rise from his nostrils behind me as I  
glanced back at Netrix and Chakra on the floor. Sigma dropped Gilley  
suddenly, freeing up his other hand. Netrix caught her, gave me a thumbs-  
up, and Sigma was infuriated a degree further.  
"Trix!" I called. "Get Gilley outta here!"  
He nodded to me. "Right, X." He began a teleport with her in his  
arms. His white streak of light flashed upwards, then...  
FLASH! The entire room lit up blindingly. As I regained my senses, I  
looked up to where Netrix's teleport was supposed to go through the roof.   
Nothing. Nothing of him or Gilley on the floor, either.  
Sigma growled a raspy laugh. "Heh heh heh..."  
"What did you do, virus?!" I asked angrily. "Where are they?"  
"Oh, I didn't do a thing, X. It was your friend Chakra there."  
I glanced back at him. He shook his head with a puzzled expression  
on his face.  
"What do you mean?"  
"When Chakra activated the anti-portation field around the outpost,"  
he said.  
"I thought you were lying about it."  
"Just about who it blocked from exiting and entering. I had it preset  
to allow only Mavericks to pass in and out with a teleport," he smiled.  
"And Netrix and Chakra?"  
"Gone to that big scrap heap in the sky, I'm afraid. Pity, I think I was  
developing a liking to Gilley. Or, at least, Argyle was."  
"So I was right," I said. "He's one of yours."  
"Certainly," he nodded. I regained my footing after his snout  
finished moving. "Argyle has been with me for quite some time now. A good  
act, though, wasn't it?"  
My rage was building. I could feel my insides burning with hate  
towards him again, just as it had four times before already, when I'd been  
forced to fight him.  
"We didn't suspect a thing," I muttered as I lowered my head. "And  
now, because of that, Netrix and Gilley are...are..."  
"Dead," he said. "Dead, X. War has its cost. You lose those you  
love, you lose your innocence, and you can lose your life. That very essence  
of what makes you so unique...taken away in mere seconds."  
I snuffed my nose in an act of cynicism. "What would you know, you  
power-hungry piece of garbage?" I felt my energy, my Ultimate weapon  
energy, welling up inside of me to full capacity. His thoughtless acts and the  
circumstances of the moment forced the energy to keep growing more and  
more powerful. I tried to ignore it for now. I'd save it for later.  
His eyes raised their lids. "Even this close to the threat of death,  
you still snap. You persist in your fight. Why?"  
"Because you're trying to take away my freedom, virus," I said as I  
threw myself to where I stood, his snout. I hung around it, now laying down. I  
concentrated as I yelled to Chakra to get the portal ready to go once I got  
back. He nodded, and waited for my next move. Sigma didn't know what hit  
him until after it was too late. His massive body and mine were both  
enclosed in a fold of blue light as I tried to teleport us both out. He's a  
Maverick, I thought. Maybe his extreme mass will cancel out my non-  
Maverick presence. I sighed heftily. At least, I hope so.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero  
  
As we came up on the lake again, I saw a bolt of bright blue light  
flash out of the depths of the mountain valley. X, I thought, glad you  
escaped.  
As the travelers materialized, however, I saw X, sure, but something  
else I didn't expect was with him.  
I swear, it was an enormous dragon. I swerved the ship over across  
our path and deactivated engines. We were only a few feet from the ground,  
so the ship easily slid to a grinding stop. I bolted from the door with saber in  
hand, ready to fight. Once the others had rallied around me, I apologized for  
the abrupt landing. They didn't seem to hear me; they were all in awe at the  
giant new body Sigma had inherited.  
From whom? Who had entrusted this one to him?  
Wily, something told me. It's not that he didn't have time to finish  
Sigs' other body, it's that he didn't, because he was working on this. I  
nodded. I had seen this design from Wily before.  
I looked up to the thing's face. There, X hung on its snout, no doubt  
giving the thing more trouble than he was worth.  
"Your friends have arrived," the dragon-Sigma's voice boomed.   
"Care to have a reunion with them?"  
"Got unfinished business here, Sigma," I heard X's voice say. "Time  
for reunions later."  
Five gigantic laser cannons popped from the dragon's body and  
swiveled to attack us. I panicked. "Scramble, everyone!" I yelled. "Stay away  
from those lasers!"  
I dashed away from a beam cutting at my heels. In disbelief, I  
watched as Roll dashed toward Sigma and out of the firing range of his  
cannons. She air-dashed up, past Sigma's leg, onto the back of his torso  
region, grabbing something there to keep herself on. Pulling out her energy  
saber, I saw her jab it into the metal there, pulling herself up. Apparently,  
Sigma was too involved in the firing spree to notice the feeling. Drawing her  
fist back and letting fly with a punch a foot or so above her, she made a dent  
in the metal large enough for her to use as a handhold. I smiled. Ingenuity at  
a time like this. She's gettin' a medal for cool thinking, I thought.  
  
  
* * *  
  
X  
  
I watched as Sigma kept firing on my friends below. "What's the  
matter, Sigma?" I called. "Don't think you could hit me from here?"  
He looked back at me with a gaze of absolute apathy. "You know, I  
could fit your entire body in one of these cannon's barrels, X. I doubt I would  
miss."  
"So why aren't you even trying to attack me?"  
"Because...I want you to live to see the destruction of your friends,  
X!" he said as he fired a beam far out into the field. I looked. Where had it  
hit? Zero was rushing over to the spot...  
"Enker!!" Iris screamed as she too dashed over. The Reploid's lower  
half had become little more than a charred hunk of scrap. Zero had knelt  
down to hold the dying soldier's hand, and to prop up his head. There wasn't  
much that could be done for him now, I knew...  
Not much more than to pray.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Chakra  
  
I shook my head as I continued working on the controls. "Wait a sec,  
that can't be right...there's a transmission coming through..."  
"Time search analysis complete," the computer buzzed. "Incoming  
transmission."  
"It's always somethin'," I muttered. "Well, who is it this time?"  
A bright light began parting the doors to the transportation  
chamber. Once it died and the doors slid open, I walked around to the opening  
cautiously, my cannon at the ready.  
And suddenly, as my eyes saw the travelers, my frown turned to a  
surprised and ironic look of disbelief.  
The two of them spoke not a word, but simply began walking toward  
the exit. Stopping for a moment to glance at Wily's motionless body, they  
nodded at one another, smiled, then headed out of the chamber. I couldn't  
believe it. It was payback time, finally time for X to find out something for  
himself...  
  
  
* * *  
  
Zero  
  
As I felt Enker's grip slip away, I struggled to free every shred of  
rage I had left in me. Dropping the dead Reploid's hand, I turned towards the  
thirty-foot abomination of a robot with bloodlust in my eyes. I concentrated  
with every ounce of straight thinking I had left, watched my saber turn an  
eerie shade of blue, then slowly began walking towards the dragon.  
He and X were in the midst of a conversation. I could've cared less.   
Too many people had died already. I was ready to end Sigma's reign here and  
now. Leveling my saber in my hand, and pointing it toward his left leg joint, I  
threw it with grace and speed. The blade ripped into the dragon's leg. I dash-  
jumped to its hilt and grabbed it, using my momentum to swing around the leg  
on the blade's axis. After I had gone in a full circle around his joint, I pulled  
the sword out and fell to the ground, landing in a crouch.  
The joint collapsed, and Sigma came crashing down on his left side. I  
sheathed my saber and began to charge a cannon shot. As one of his  
cannons turned to fire at me, I released the shot, not even looking at the  
laser, then kept walking as its barrel exploded and fell to the ground.  
I continued walking, up to the right leg joint. I began to whisper: "For  
those that you've sacrificed, for those whom you've used..."  
I raised my head, fire flashing in my eyes. Speaking louder, I  
continued: "For those of our loved ones, whom you've killed..."  
I swung my Z-Saber to one side, saying still louder: "For everything  
you've done, all your crimes, for everything you've made me do to your  
enemies..."  
And then I, swinging the saber below my belt as I approached the  
body, finished: "And for destroying one more innocent Reploid's life named  
Sigma...I do this."  
I remembered the techniques I had used on Sigma last time as I  
raised the blade again. "Ryuenjin!" I cried as I launched a flaming uppercut  
with the sword at the joint. I doubled my jump, then cried "Hyouretsuzan!" as  
I came down upon the joint with a jagged icy blade.   
I dashed away quickly, just in time to turn around and watch the joint  
split, then fall away. A Reploid approached my flank. I turned, sliced with my  
saber horizontally, then watched as he fell.  
"And that was for you, Argyle," I muttered to his dismantled  
remains. "Be seeing you, my friend. Rest in peace," I said as I shoved my  
saber through the Maverick's head. 


	23. A Blast from the Past

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty-Three  
  
X  
  
I smiled as I saw Zero rip through Sigma's legs. "Still feeling cocky,  
Sigs?" I asked with a smirk.  
"You have no idea how much you Hunters pain me," he remarked. "I  
hate times like these."  
"Why is that, Sigma?"  
"It means I'm losing."  
"Awww...." I said in a little-kid voice. "Poor widda viwus....boo hoo..."  
"Frankly, X," he said as he plucked me from his snout, "I've had  
enough of your flippancy. You'll learn firsthand exactly how much I hate  
losing." He grinned as his eyes began changing colors...not to green or brown,  
but to solid red. The redness spread over his entire eyeball, as if taking him  
over. Energy began gathering in his eye beams, and I had no way of escaping  
this time, whether I struggled or not.  
The deadly gaze was leveled to fire on me, centering my form in his  
optical reticles. The beams finished gathering their energy, and he was  
about to fire, when...  
Out of nowhere, a blast! From behind Sigma's head came Roll. She  
held a small laser pistol, smoking, of course, and wore a look of pure disgust  
on her face. She discarded the blaster and walked directly up to Sigma's  
eyes. "Try it, you piece of garbage," she spat.  
Sigma yelled in anger, throwing me off his snout and into the air. I  
hovered, bringing myself to a safe landing. Roll, however, had stayed latched  
onto the dragon's face, and I was powerless to stop Sigma from doing  
something to Roll. I lowered my head. She was gone for sure.  
She stood out on the edge of his snout. "I think you're afraid to kill  
me, Sigma, I really do," I heard her call.  
"Roll, don't!" Iris called. I would've done the same, but I knew it  
wouldn't do any good. I waved for Iris to stay quiet.   
I saw the eyes heat up to that scarlet red once again, saw the  
energy particles being drawn to the storage batteries as Roll continued to  
taunt the growling Sigma...  
And then frowned as I heard one of the strangest noises I'd ever  
heard in my life.  
A peculiarly familiar whistling noise found its way to my earlobes,  
and as I turned this way and that to try to find its source, so did Sigma. His  
eyes darkened back to their normal hue, and he donned a confused  
expression. A pair of charged-up cannon blasts came from behind the  
dragon, sending him lumbering forward a few steps. "Who fired that shot?" I  
asked of our unit. "We've got no one back there!"  
But as Sigma turned `round to face his attacker, I was just curious  
enough to go back up to Sigs' snout and take a look. Using my air-dash and  
plain old climbing to get back to my original position, I hugged Roll to me as I  
gazed down upon the ground.   
Standing there were two figures, back to back, with their gun arms  
outstretched towards Sigma, their cannons smoking. One was garbed in red,  
yellow, and grey, the other in tones of blue. I thought this color scheme  
somehow oddly appropriate, but furthered a look at their faces, and smiled.  
The original Mega Man and Protoman, both in the flesh, had come  
back from the grave for one last fight.  
  
  
* * *  
Zero  
  
I turned my head towards X as he shouted "Come see this, Zero!" I  
obliged with a double-jump to Sigma's chest, and a short climb. Once I stood  
on his snout with X and Roll, I took a look down at the two fighters. "Mega  
Man and Protoman," I muttered, a smile drawing my lips apart. "Well, I'll be  
damned..."  
They leaped in unison to the chest to climb up to where we stood  
now. Rock got up first, reaching for his brother's arm to pull him up. When  
they both stood only a few feet from us, I had to check to see whether I was  
dreaming. Nope, this is really them!  
X smiled in disbelief. However, he did find enough of his senses to  
walk forward and extend a hand. Rock took it, shook it firmly, then returned  
a smile. I felt I was being shunted, so I stepped forward to Protoman. He,  
likewise, stepped forward and offered a hand.  
"Is it just me, or do you look extremely handsome?" I heard Rock say  
to X. He laughed out loud, and I couldn't help it myself either. Their voices  
were exactly alike! It was spooky, to say the least.  
"You making the little whistle, right?" I muttered to Protoman.  
He nodded. "Always. My calling card, you know."  
"I know."  
Roll walked up. "It's strange," she said. "You've never met before in  
your lives, and yet you're acting as if you're old school buddies or  
something."  
X stepped aside to let Roll shake Rock's hand. "Honored," he said  
quietly. "Your name?"  
"Roll," she said with a giggle.  
He smiled too. "Named after my own sister, are you?"  
"Can't escape her, even by coming a century into the future, eh,  
Rock?" Protoman chuckled.  
"How rude of me, though," X said. "I'm Mega Man X. Just call me X."  
"And your all-too-familiar cohort here?" he gestured at me.  
"Zero," I said with a grin.  
"We saw you had Wily taken care of down below, so we thought we'd  
just join the party upstairs," Protoman said.  
"Not the worst of ideas," said X, "especially since your appearances  
saved Roll here."  
"How's that?"  
"Sigma there was gonna nuke her with his eye beams," I informed  
them. "You guys showed up just in time."  
"Oh, by the way, be glad your Reploid friend back in the base isn't  
prone to heart conditions," Mega Man said. "He had quite a start when we  
showed up."  
"Can't you understand why?" Protoman interrupted. "We're robots  
from a hundred years ago, and he was alone down there, you know."  
"Not to mention that you both are heroes that go down in history  
together," X said.  
"That too," Protoman said, keeping a smile on his face.  
"Anyway, care to help us exterminate this virus?" I inquired.  
They both nodded. "Let's do it."  
X turned to Roll. "I can't ask you to stay for this, Roll," he said. "It's  
us or him now."  
"And it will be you, I trust," she said, kissing him on the cheek.   
"Come back to me safely, love."  
I, likewise, blew a kiss to Iris as Roll hopped off the nose of our  
enemy, no doubt already anxiously awaiting X's return.  
  
  
* * *  
X  
  
I shook my head, still trying to cope with what had just transpired.   
Mega Man and Protoman were checking out their cannons, making sure they  
were in top condition before they began to fight. In the moment, I had  
almost forgotten about our target--Sigma! "You still up for a final match, big  
guy?" I asked. "You've gotta pay for what you've done to everyone."  
His eyes flexed into a calm smile. "I still have a few tricks up my  
sleeve, X. Don't be so cocky."  
With this, he arched his head upward and two great wings shot out  
of his back. Stretching them thoroughly, he began an ascent into the arid  
heat of the afternoon. We began to fly, to make a direct climb upwards. I  
heard Zero swear. "Crap!"  
"What is it?"  
"Dropped my saber. Oh, well. Stick to the cannon, then."  
"He's gonna try to get past the atmosphere," I realized. "He's trying  
to drain our air."  
"He's got a ways to go," remarked Protoman. "You think he'll make  
it?"  
"Not if we start working now," Mega Man replied as he began a Mega-  
Buster charge.  
"Right," I said. "Let's get going."  
Zero nodded, and began charging a series of three blasts with his  
cannon. He headed `round to Sigma's back, from whence I saw purple and  
blue flashes seconds later. I smiled as I let fly with my own blast, catching  
the dragon Sigma in the end of his snout.  
At that moment, he suddenly kicked up the afterburners a notch,  
throwing all four of us down to wherever we hung or stood.   
"Having fun now, X? I could go even faster, if you'd like."  
I flattened myself onto the snout as I called for the others. "Guys!   
Get in a triangle position around Sigs' head!"  
They complied as quickly as they could. I nodded to them each in  
turn, all starting charges on their cannons. Recalling my full-capacity energy  
charge back when I'd first seen this version of Sigma, I concentrated on  
staying balanced. Sigma's jets echoed mightily through the sky. He punched  
it again, G's increasing every second.  
Spheres of blue, green, and red energy arced around my three  
companions. "Get ready!" I yelled, raising my hand above my head.   
Sigs heard and throttled the jets harder, sending all of us crashing  
to our knees again. I could barely stand up, but I managed. The others were  
having a considerably harder time, but they eventually made it back up. The  
wind, what there was left of it, tore at the corners of my mouth, forcing  
them downward, as it did my arms. I struggled to keep the one I had held up  
in the air, however. Succeeding at that, I took a deep breath.  
I coughed. The air had become scarce, and the oxygen count thin.   
Sigma was rising quickly, and the atmosphere was nearly cleared. I coughed  
one last time as my hand flew down with tiredness. The other three  
immediately fired off multiple blaster charges, Zero firing three, Mega Man  
one, and Protoman two.  
I cursed. I had not meant to throw my hand down at that moment.   
Take the chance you've got now, X, I told myself. It's the only one you've got  
left.  
Readying myself, I concentrated on unleashing the capacity of  
energy inside myself. As the other began wheezing around me, I rose slightly  
from the snout of the dragon and closed my eyes. Yellow energy began to  
spurt out around my body, like flames, almost. At this intensity of G's, the  
power was taking longer to disperse. At the peak of the release, I snapped  
open my eyes and gave Sigma an evil look. He cringed, knowing his end was  
near.  
I released the energy and let the Nova Strike attack plow right into  
his eyes. 


	24. Back to the Past

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four  
  
X  
  
I opened my bleary eyes, checked this way and that. I was in the med  
wing of Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Suddenly, I saw a familiar face--Zero!  
"How do you feel, X?" he asked.  
A good question, I thought. I hadn't really had time to feel anything, but...  
"Oh, crud! Feels like my back's in a torture rack!"  
Zero winced at my outburst. "Yeah, forgot to mention that... You kinda  
landed on the flat of your back on the ship Skyler was piloting."  
"Ship...?"  
"When he saw the explosion come from the giant dragon Sigma, he figured  
we'd need a ride back down."  
"Right," I thought as I sat up, ever so gingerly. "So we got Sigs?"  
"Well, yes and no."  
"Why do I not like the sound of that?"  
He smiled. "We destroyed the dragon body, sure, but the virus did his  
signature disappearing act again."  
"So he's off again, formulating another plan?"  
"I would suppose so. We've got our guards up for him to show up soon, of  
course."  
"Of course," I echoed. "So where are Mega Man and Protoman?"  
"Off in the base chatting with Iris and Roll," he said, jerking a thumb at the  
door. "They wanted to get to know some of the Reploids here before they  
headed back."  
"Logical," I said. "See what their future is going to be like."  
He nodded. "You've been out for a day or so, actually. Skyler took the  
two of them to the robotics museum where their exhibit was. In disguises,  
of course."  
I rubbed the back of my neck. "So has Wily been shipped back through the  
portal yet?"  
"No, we were going to do them all at once," he said, "and we were waiting  
for you to supervise."  
"Any particular reason?"  
"It was your Nova Strike that took out the dragon, X. Or have you  
forgotten that already?"  
"Please, Zero," I feigned a stuck-up voice: "I have to have something to  
brag about. Of course I haven't forgotten. You three helped me out,  
though."  
Pulling a glass of water from a table next to my bed, he raised it and said,  
"I'll drink to that," then upturned the glass and swallowed the liquid, smacking  
his lips. "Nothin' like it," he remarked.  
"I'll take soda any day over water," I said.  
"I mean fighting against Sigma, you dunce!" he said, burying his face in his  
hands.  
"I knew that," I said, with a perfectly clean expression on my face. "Well,  
what're we waitin' around here for?" I piped, hopping off the bed. "We've got  
a doctor and two robots to stick back in the past where they belong."  
  
* * *  
  
I was outfitted in a gold-and-black set of armor, light spangling from my  
every angle. As I stood back in the little outpost where Sigma had brought  
his own men back from the past and made a ramshackle group of Mavericks,  
I gazed around once again. I wouldn't see this room again for quite a while.   
Its impressive height and length did nothing to lessen the eye's job. The walls  
were simply craggy brown, cut directly from the mountain walls. The time  
machine sat opposite the only entrance to the chamber. Roll walked toward  
me, her face beaming proudly. "Excited?" she asked.  
"Excited, yes," I nodded. "But I'm also sad."  
"Sad?"  
"About Enker. About Rock and Protoman having to travel back. I wish  
they could stay...maybe have their brains downloaded into some proper  
Reploid bodies..."  
She cut me off. "You and I both know it wouldn't do, X. They were never  
destined to be Reploids, nor should they be. They must go back to where  
they belong."  
I nodded understandingly. "I know."  
"As for Enker...don't be sad for him. There was nothing you could have  
done."  
"I know that too," I said more quietly. "I know that too."  
"Do you wanna keep the others waiting?"  
"I suppose not," I sighed, taking a grand walk to their position. "Zero, Iris,  
how's it comin'?"  
"Looks like everything's ready to go, X," Iris said.  
"I'm here too, you know," came a voice from the control panel of the  
machine.  
I smiled. "Nice to see you too, Chakra."  
Wily was, by this time, awake, of course, and we had restrained him with a  
simple energy field. He and Rock gave each other cold stares whenever he  
passed. I almost laughed at the old man's expression each time. His version  
of a piercing stare was not at all frightening, and I wondered how Rock held in  
his laughter.  
I noticed Protoman in one corner, chatting with Hybric. Everyone had  
come out for this event. I strode over, and Hybric suddenly left. "Didn't  
mean to scare him off," I remarked to Protoman.  
He chuckled. "He was leaving anyways. Got something on your mind?"  
"Just been meaning to tell you something about this weird...this..."  
"...Bond you feel between us, even though we've never met?"  
"Right."  
"Mega Man and I felt it too, when we first met. It's strange, I know.   
Probably because you're a descendant of Rock's."  
"Probably," I said, shrugging. "Explains the bond between me and Zero too,  
I suppose."  
He walked back toward his friend, beaming. I sauntered over to the  
command chair at the machine's computer casually, eyeing things on the  
screen.  
"Where did they come through from?" I asked Chakra.  
He acknowledged my presence. "August 15, 20XX," he said. "Sigs was  
close."  
"That he was," I said, patting the old tech worker on the shoulder. "Good  
work, Chakra. When you finish here, take a few weeks vacation, my treat.   
You've earned it."  
"Aye, sir."  
Back over with Zero and company, I discovered Iris and Roll talking  
privately. Zero was beside himself, just itching to know what they were  
saying.  
"I can't stand it when females talk privately," he said. "It makes me  
antsy. `Are they talking about me?'"  
I grinned. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Anyway," I gathered another breath,  
"everything seems to be in order. Enker's remains have already been buried,  
right?"  
He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, um...Dr. Cain got them this morning. He  
found a spot close to HQ. He's dedicating a cemetery there for Reploids  
killed in battle."  
I nodded. Just the kind of thing for the old guy to do.  
Suddenly, Chakra's voice: "It's ready to go, X!"  
I nodded at Zero. He nodded likewise, and without a word, I turned to take  
my place at the front of all this. "All right, Hunters," I addressed the room,  
"we have been very honored by the presence of these two fighters from the  
past, Mega Man and Protoman, and..." but I was cut off sharp applause. I  
allowed it for a moment, then raised my hand to silence them again. I  
continued: "...And of course, you all know Dr. Wily here..." I gestured to where  
the old doctor lay inside the force-field. He growled back.  
"Charming," I heard Khizarr mutter.  
"And as fortunate as we have been with their presence, we know they do  
not belong here."  
"Hear hear," Crysto said with a snicker. "All in good fun."  
"Fortunately, during this whole thing, we have not lost our one assurance  
that time would not be forever without its Mega Man and its Protoman. If  
either of these two very valuable pieces were removed from history's  
museum, disastrous results could have come about. We might not all stand  
as we do now. Some of us might be worker droids. Some of us might be  
nonexistent, and others might be Mavericks," I added with a stab of disgust.   
"This has been a very small battle that was bravely fought, valiantly fought.   
Of course, as in all wars, there have been sacrifices, casualties. You know  
the ones I speak of: Lujon, Enker, Netrix, Argyle, Gilley, and even Sigma, the  
Reploid.  
"Their lives have all shaped ours in some way," I said. "They have all  
benefitted the Maverick Hunters much. But what they gave to history, as did  
these two brave robots you see standing before you today, is invaluable and  
can never be changed. Let us take a moment of silence to remember those  
we have lost for the good of our cause. Let us remember them in the name  
of the freedom we continue to be recipients of."  
Roll glided up to where I stood, taking my hand and grasping it firmly as  
the entire large room, once buzzing with chatter and humorous talk, stayed  
absolutely silent for near two minutes. I broke the silence by speaking up  
once again: "Learn from their examples. As defenders of the people and the  
Reploid race, I entrust to you once again the future of this planet, and, in the  
future, others like it. Let us not be swayed by the promise of power, or the  
lure of more money or better living. Let us not be deceived: paying for a  
better life with your freedom is no bargain, and no deal. I say good-bye to  
Rock and Protoman, and Dr. Wily as well. Continue making your infamous  
robot creations, doctor," I addressed him. "They affect the future as well."  
He growled again, banging on the field. I laughed. "Chakra, power up the  
machine!"  
As he did, the door of the machine flung itself open and belched out  
smoke, covering our feet. Removing Wily from the field, Hybric and Crysto  
tossed the old man into the chamber, and the doors shut automatically.  
"Setting date for June 1, 20XX," Chakra noted orally. "Booting up memory  
erasure system now."  
A flash of bright white light moved down the crack of the chamber doors,  
and a second later, Chakra gave me a nod. "Back where he should be, boss."  
I nodded back. "Thanks, Chakra." As I looked over at Zero, he and  
Protoman were shaking hands fervently, giving each other last-minute quips.   
"Date set?"  
"August 15, 20XX," Chakra confirmed. "Proto goes first, right?"  
"Right."  
The red robot hopped in the machine a second later, waving to everyone in  
the room. "`Bye, guys!" he called. "Don't forget to write!"  
The doors shut behind him, and then he was gone.  
Turning to face Rock, I held out a hand. "I suppose we have to say  
goodbye now."  
He took it. "I suppose so."  
"Have fun back where you live," I said. "You have longer vacations from  
your enemies than I do from mine."  
He smiled. "It's been a definite pleasure, X. Treat Roll right. She is my  
sister, you know."  
I chuckled. "Will do, Rock. Give Roll a kiss from me when you get back."  
"I'll do that," he said as he walked into the empty time chamber. "See ya  
`round."   
I looked wistfully at my predecessor take a bow to wild applause, then  
fade into the smoke and disappear with a flash of the white light. "See ya  
`round, Mega Man," I whispered to no one. 


	25. Lost Loves, New Hope

THE TENTH DISK  
By blackhart  
MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five  
  
X  
  
I walked noiselessly back to Zero, Iris and Roll.  
"They're gone," I said. "Back to their own time."  
Iris nodded. "Good. History can finally complete its course again."  
Roll walked over, took my hand. I hugged her close to me. "Another  
battle of the war is now over."  
"And for the first time, I'm glad I've had someone to share my  
victory with," I said, pecking her on the cheek.  
Roll closed her eyes, shot a look to Iris. Iris nodded back at her. "X,  
Zero, we've been meaning to tell you both something."  
I eyed Zero suspiciously. He gave a look of pure innocence,  
shrugging his shoulders.  
"What is it, Roll?"  
She lowered her head, then brought it back up. Taking a deep  
breath, and clinging still more firmly to my hand, she let fly with a string of  
syllables: "Iris and I have decided to look for someone who can build a  
resistance program for the Sigma virus, something that can combat the  
virus itself. We feel as if the Hunters aren't moving fast enough in that  
regard. Their research is based too much upon funds and resources. We're  
going to try to find a private scientist who can do some extra research for  
us."  
I smiled. "Good idea," I said. "As long as sigmae mavericus is still  
roaming around, we can fight all the giant robot suits we want. It won't get  
anything done until we can find out how to get rid of the virus."  
She nodded. "We thought it was a great idea, too, when we  
discussed it with Enker, before..." and then her voice trailed off. I  
understood.  
"So you're going to travel off with Iris and look for this scientist,  
right? Great! We can put some of our top Hunters with you and have then  
help you compile reports to send back to the Hunters!" Zero said.  
Roll nodded to Iris. She picked up where Roll had left off, with a sigh:  
"That's the thing, Zero. We wanna do this alone, apart from t he Hunters."  
"And there's no guarantee on when or if you'll see either of us  
again," Roll said quietly.  
Zero's eyes suddenly widened. "So you're--leaving us?"  
"Admit it, Zero. You want to see Sigma gone more than you want to  
be with me," Iris said, her eyes sparkling.  
He lowered his head. "That's not true."  
She tilted his chin up with her fingers, looked into his eyes. "You  
know it is."  
He sighed. "I don't want to see Sigma gone more than I want you  
here with me. I just want to see Sigma gone so we can always be together."  
She nodded. "And if we find someone who can get rid of Sigma, we  
can be together always, Zero."  
He turned around. She took both his hands and dragged him off into  
a corner to talk privately. Roll turned back to me. "Well, don't you have  
anything to say?"  
I stayed silent, shaking my head. "No," I whispered. "I just have to  
ask you why you're so confident that you'll succeed."  
She smiled. "Maybe that's the Maverick presumptuousness still in  
me."  
I glared. "Don't say that."  
"If we can find someone who can defeat Sigma, we can save  
everyone."  
"But the Hunters have their top scientists on it, and we still haven't  
figured it out, even with test subjects and after five encounters with the  
virus itself!"  
"But we can do more research with a scientist who has nothing  
better to do than all of the Hunters combined," she urged. "Listen to reason,  
X. If we can do this, we can destroy him!"  
"Small victory," I said. "Someone else will probably pick up where  
Sigs left off."  
She snuggled up underneath my chin. "But if he's gone, that leaves  
the way clearer for peace."  
I hugged her tightly. "You're right," I whispered in her ear. "Just  
come back someday, will you?"  
She closed her eyes, squeezed my shoulders. "I'll do my best."  
I wiped a tear from my eyes. "I love you, Roll. Take care of  
yourself."  
She nodded back, turned away. I smiled as she turned back around  
with a flourish to kiss me. Her embrace was desperate, confused--uncertain  
of the future. Iris and Zero had resolved their own arguments, and they now  
parted as Iris approached me, and Roll, Zero.  
"Listen," she addressed me, "Zero'll need some support while we're  
gone. Think you can handle it?"  
"I've done it before," I said. She smiled, hugged me. I let go of her,  
and she and Roll rejoined one another in front of both Zero and I.  
"Got the anti-portation field down yet, Chakra?" Roll asked across  
the room.  
"Sure thing, Roll. We'll see you around."  
She nodded, took her sister's hand. "Bye, guys," she said, blowing a  
kiss with her free hand. Iris did likewise, and gave Zero a wink.  
As their forms evaporated into streaks of light and headed out from  
the fortress, Zero came to offer me solace. I gladly accepted, and gave my  
own in return.  
  
  
The war, for now, has ended. Sigma still lives and will show himself again, but  
he has been weakened. X and Zero still wait for the day when they must fight  
one another, but this has seen to increase their natural bonds much more  
deeply than they imagine. Why are they destined to fight? Why were these  
two brotherly friends chosen by fate to battle against each other? As they  
have both learned during this battle, only time will tell, and time is perpetually  
patient.  
They have lost their loves for now, but have gained the hope of Sigma's  
destruction someday soon. When their girls return to them, they will have  
their happiness again, and hopefully, for all time.  
  
  
-The End- 


End file.
